Hopes of economic resurrection boost as Shahbaz sets to become Prime Minister
Zubair Qureshi Islamabad
People from different walks of life have hailed the Supreme Court’s Thursday verdict of restoring the National Assembly and setting aside the Deputy Speaker’s April 3 ruling of disallowing the No-Confidence Motion saying it will help bring stability to the economy of the country.
Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif who is the joint opposition’s consensus candidate for the office of Prime Minister, in a brief media talk after the Supreme Court’s judgment said he was concerned about the poor and underprivileged people and would immediately take steps to provide them immediate relief.
Pakistan Observer in a survey after the verdict was announced by a five-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial contacted members of the business community, office workers, lawyers, clerks, labourers and daily wage workers and asked them about their reaction towards the Supreme Court’s Thursday judgment. While terming the Supreme Court’s judgment as ‘historic’ they expected the new government in case the No-Confidence Motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan scheduled for Saturday (tomorrow), is successful, would pay attention to their economic and financial ordeal and do something to provide them relief.
The prices of daily use items are already out of the reach of the poor, common man and shopkeepers and mafias have already increased the prices of the items of daily use in the holy month of Ramazan and there is no check and balance or oversight of the authorities concerned.
Abdul Wahab, a labourer in G-9/4 Pershawar Morr while pinning hopes in the leadership of Shahbaz Sharif who is expected to take oath of Prime Minister on Saturday immediately after the success of no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Khan saying his life would become a little bit easier as the Sharif government had always been in the forefront and is known for its poor-friendly steps. The prices of petrol which are now at Rs150 per litre had contributed to the general price hike like prices of sugar, edible oil, wheat flour and other general items, said Wahab. In the days of the Nawaz Sharif government wheat flour was Rs35-40 per kg likewise, sugar was Rs45 per kg, cooking oil was Rs100 per kg.
However, during the time of Prime Minister Imran Khan these prices shot up and today wheat flour is selling at the rate of Rs85 per kg, edible oil Rs140 per litre, sugar is Rs110 per kg. We cannot afford these prices anymore, our backbone is broken, he said.
A domestic servant, Khawar in Mehra Abadi also welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision saying daily he had to travel in local transport to reach his place of work and the daily fare has been increased three to four times since Imran Khan took over the office.
