AmeerJamaat-e-Islami Karachi, MunemZafar Khan, has urged for provisions in the federal budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 to alleviate inflation rates, increase public salaries by 30%, and allocate a dedicated budget of at least Rs. 100 billion for development projects in Karachi. He stated that despite the global reduction in petrol prices, there is a slight decrease in rates instead of a significant one. He emphasized the necessity to substantially reduce petrol prices to provide relief to citizens. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced a reduction of Rs. 15 in petrol prices, but the relevant ministry rejected the announcement, lowering it to Rs. 4.74 instead.
The general public is already burdened due to rising inflation and unemployment, compounded by hefty electricity and gas bills. On the other hand, the inflation rate continues to rise steadily, making life increasingly difficult for the common worker.
Instead of alleviating poverty, efforts seem to be focused on eliminating the poor. It was previously announced by the government that the minimum wage for workers would be increased to Rs. 32,000, but this has yet to be implemented. Every time the new budget is announced, no development budget is allocated for Karachi, and even if announced, it is not implemented. In the past, numerous announcements and promises were made for Karachi, but nothing was done practically. Neither the Muslim League-N, nor the Pakistan Peoples Party, nor the MQM has any interest in Karachi.
