Inflation and poverty
TIMES have changed, rhythms have changed, rulers have changed, but what does not change, the conditions of the Pakistani people have not changed.
The people were suffering from problems and miseries before and even today, they bemoan inflation and unemployment. The people’s journey of suffering has never ended, and there are no signs of improvement in the future.
Shaukat Tarin, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, while promising an improvement in the economic situation, revealed that the real problem in the country is not poverty but inflation.
These two issues seem to be two sides of the same coin and the government has failed to save the life of the people from these two issues.
It is clear that the people of Pakistan are sinking deeper and deeper into the mire of poverty and inflation, whilst the elite have their fingers crossed in the mounds of gold in every age. The new Pakistan has been dubbed as the imposition of new taxes with poverty and inflation.
The Prime Minister has been constantly trying to reassure the people that the current situation is temporary and the country will soon get out of the difficult economic situation. Unable to see how the current wave of inflation will stop? How can poor people get relief from inflation? The government does not have any concrete answers to these questions, however, the Finance Adviser keeps promising improvement in the economic situation.
Whatever he says, it focuses on the future and who has seen the future? Every government has a team of data wizards who can twist and turn the facts so that ordinary people do not understand that what is being said is to their advantage or disadvantage.
As Shaukat Tarin took charge of the Finance Ministry, it was announced that his arrival would improve the situation and reduce the burden of inflation, but so far, nothing seems to be improving practically.
This dilemma is likely to be removed shortly, but the problem of the common man at the moment is not the macroeconomic issues, but the two-time bread on a daily basis, which is becoming more and more cumbersome with every new initiative of the government.
There is no problem for the government that cannot be solved, but the unfortunate thing is that we do not want to reform ourselves, the government does not want to reform itself and the people are not ready to change their attitude.
The people are terrified and are once again remembering the era of corrupt hereditary politicians. If the government and the public do not take serious steps, they will not be able to improve the economy of the country and will never be able to get out of inflation and poverty.
The slogans chanting by the public from the beginning are: change the system, not the face, change the rule of looting, but to date this slogan has not been fully implemented. Until the public revolution comes in this country or the people are not on the streets, the people will remain in the grip of inflation and poverty.
At the forefront of the economical setback of the country, both the opposition and the government should focus on solving the problems of the troubled people instead of using them in anti-government movements because democracy means serving the people, but it seems that our politics is not the name of fixing the problems of the poor public, once the people take to the streets, there will be no way out for both the government and the opposition.
—The writer is a regular columnist, based in Lahore.
