Articles and letters may be edited for the purposes of clarity and space. They are published in good faith with a view to enlightening all the stakeholders. However, the contents of these writings may not necessarily match the views of the newspaper.
Karachi Super Store Fire
Several dozen families are likely to lose their life long savings and place of residence in a criminal fire which engulfed a multi-storied apartment building with a super store on ground level, whose owners had chosen the basement parking space to hoard 4 to 10 tons of cooking oil near Karachi Jail Chowrangi. It was the insatiable greed of store owner to profit from their stock, pending expected rise in edible oil. Unfortunately, such immoral and criminal practices of hoarding and black marketing have been going on in Pakistan for decades now. The criminal negligence of authorities, both provincial or city government to look the other way, serves as an incentive. In rare incidence, when caught they get away with light sentences or in some cases just a nominal fine.
On 11 August 1947 Quaid in his address to First Constituent Assembly stressed that “One of the biggest curses from which India is suffering is bribery and corruption. –Black-marketing is another curse”. He elaborated this further “A citizen who does black-marketing commits, I think a greater crime than the biggest and most grievous of crimes”. MAJ made it clear that they should be “severely punished because they undermine the system entire system of control and regulation of food-stuffs and essential commodities, and cause wholesale starvation and want and even death”.
We have been witnessing this criminal hoarding of essential food items, creating artificial shortages, before every budget is announced and also before every Eid and religious festival. This only further adds to woes of ordinary citizens, living on the edge, with soaring inflation that is being witnessed. Pakistan, in spite of claims of harvest bumper wheat crops, faces shortage because of hoarding and smuggling in nexus with food department and border security.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
Petroleum prices
Petroleum prices are the talk of the town after recent surge. Following the boom of 30Rs on May 27, Petrol prices after recent hike, stands at 209.86Rs. Previous pattern on repeat, blame-game has begun. Government is describing it as a tough, inevitable and unavoidable decision subjecting it to availability of IMF programme while the Opposition has called for peaceful protests across the country. Economists are calling it an ineludible adjustment, as we are still enjoying a subsidy of 9Rs on Petrol Price. Irrespective of either previous government created that mess or new government, we are about to witness new heights of inflation with recent surge in Petrol Price.
Who is at the receiving end when it comes to Petrol Price hike? Who is at a loss? Who is most vulnerable when it comes to Petrol Prices? Who suffers the most? Who pays the price when it comes to inflation? Capitalists-who do not even have any clue about price of Petrol. Politicians-having political and economic power. Judges, bureaucrats or government officials who have a luxury of free petrol from government. You got that right; it is common individual who is most vulnerable to risk of Petrol price. It is a common man who will fall below the poverty line. It is a common man who is at a loss with Petrol price hike.
Let it go who is responsible for this pathetic condition of our economy. Is daily-wager, who is from hand to mouth in Pakistan responsible for our deteriorating economy? Will it always remain the case that consequences of our sinking economy will be borne by working class of our society? If our beloved homeland is at stake, the music of our deteriorating economy must not be limited to common people.
SHEHRYAR AHMED
Islamabad
Targeted subsidy
As soon as the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) announced the monumental increase of Rs.7.91 per unit, totalling the price of each unit to Rs.24.82, the government announced a hike in the prices of petroleum products by as much as Rs.30. This was inevitable as the IMF is pending and the government must take all the measures needed to secure it.
We can expect one final increase in fuel prices before stability ensues. With this increase in fuel prices, and electricity, across the country, inflation is expected to skyrocket and backlash is expected from the people. Prices of basic commodities have risen to the point that they have become unaffordable by the masses and fuel supply remains limited. The government has stated that it would be open to importing cheap fuel from Russia, provided that there are no sanctions that accompany the trade deal. Regardless, the government needs to plan strategies that would reduce the burden on the people.
However, the IMF deal is the only solution for such fiscal problems but despite the increase in prices, we are yet to fulfil the remaining prerequisites for securing the deal. The government a few days ago also took harsh decision to raise fuel prices stating that were needed to control the upward trend in Dollar price. Now, focus should be on taking it a step further for the last time so that national anxiety can be reduced and policies can be designed in accordance with a price system that is more stable. Targeted subsidies should be given to common man to relieve his day to day increasing miseries. Control over daily goods prices must be strengthened to curb the high handiness of traders.
MUNAWAR SIDDIQUI
Lahore
Waiting for Oliver Cromwell?
Does mediocrity and bankruptcy of our politicians have brought the country to the brink of Civil War by design or innocence? Our great national tragedy is that the majority of parliamentarians are nincompoops, unaware of their responsibilities towards the nation.
In an identical situation, Great Britain’s King Charles-I when leading his struggle against Parliament that ended up in Civil War, was imprisoned and later executed! It was General Cromwell who led the parliamentary forces to victory over King Charles-I and after signing the King’s death warrants in 1649 Cromwell took over power himself as leader of the Commonwealth and Protectorates in which Monarchy and House of Lords were replaced by a Council of State.
We, in Pakistan, witnessed trampling of the Constitution and rules by the Speaker and Deputy Speaker National Assembly in April 2022 bulldozing the proceedings on a No-Confidence motion under active collusion of the Prime Minister and the President should take an example of the British people in this case at least!
Pakistan is standing at its defining moment and if political and legal wrangling is allowed to continue, the hidden agenda outlined by the PTI leader may lead to another catastrophe after 1970. Therefore, it’s time for a surgical strike and all those involved in crime against the state and the constitution be brought to face the bar of justice with fear of- even IMF or No-IMF. The nation requires peace and security first – even through drastic measures – to reverse the impact of fraud perpetrated against teeming millions under the IMF packages from 2020 onward by all self-seekers and hangers-on.
ALI ASHRAF KHAN
Karachi
