Can’t afford food, people turn to God in bankrupt Pakistan

Islamabad: “We are solely reliant on God,” this is what every second person in Pakistan has been saying now as weekly inflation in the country surges past 40 per cent.

The poor crying for food and people sleeping empty stomach have now become the norm in cash-strapped Pakistan which has been taking all possible measures to unlock $1.1 billion bailout package from the IMF.

No money to pay utility bills

People in Pakistan say they have no money left for utility bills, children’s school fees. Rations in their house are drying up with no saving to refill stock.

Reports say sick people are avoiding hospitals as they do not have the required finances to pay doctor’s fee and buy medicines.

Pakistanis say their purchasing power have further eroded, with many struggling to cover even the most basic necessities.

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Despite such a worrisome situation, Shehbaz Sharif-led government appears to have no mercy as it continues to burden its citizens with more taxes. Also, Islamabad has blocked imports to shore up the foreign reserves that have fallen to critical levels over the last few months.

‘Two square meal is hard to manage’

“If our children ask for something, we simply make excuses. If we eat one time, the second meal is hard to manage … we tell the children to just sleep,” a report by Dawn quoted 55-year-old Imam Ali, who works as a security guard in Karachi, saying.

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“We are solely reliant on God, we cannot make ends meet in this inflation,” said Imam Ali, who lost almost all of his livestock and crops in 2020 Pakistan floods.

Ali, who earns a monthly salary of Rs 15,000, says that he cannot afford to send his eight children to school and they are sating with their mother at the shelter.

‘Educating our children is not within our capacity," he added.

Another local, 41-year-old Rukhsana Bibi, who works as domestic help, says her family now has to compromise on one meal.

With a meagre Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 monthly income from every home she works, she complained of sky-rocketing food prices. “Wheat flour is barely available. Our kids stand in line for days to get one sack of wheat flour, and that too is expensive, she said, adding, “We used to eat three times, but now we compromise on one meal.”

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She further complained that even with low wages, people in Pakistan are forced to work for whatever they can get. “We have to feed our family so we do it,” she lamented.

Another domestic help, Dilshad Begum said: “It’s become very difficult to eat … we cook once and eat it thrice.”

Savings consumed due to inflation

Inflation in Pakistan has forced many businesses to shut down. Some small shop owners say they have no savings left and due to rising prices, they rarely get any buyers.

“I am a businessman and my business has been greatly affected (due to inflation). My weekly investment of Rs 50,000 has increased to Rs 100,000,” the report quoted Nadeem Uddin Siddique, a small shop owner saying.

“My life’s savings have been consumed due to this inflation,” he added.

Pakistan rupee depreciation hurts citizens

Weak Pakistani rupee has been weighing down the people of the country. People who have been working for overseas organisations and are paid in foreign currency say that they barely get to save anything after the conversion of currency.

The report quoted 26-year-old freelancer from Karachi, Daniyal Sattar, who works for foreign clients saying due to inflation and the rapid devaluation of the rupee, he now keeps his savings in dollars.

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He said earlier when he used to receive a payment of $1000 for any project, he would convert $500-600 into rupees and keep the rest in his foreign currency account.

Accusing the Shehbaz Sharif-government, he said, “Those in power keep repeating the same mistakes and the poor end up paying the price. There is nothing they [government] don’t know already … the causes, the impacts.”

“I would say what any other Pakistani would say … tax the rich,” he added.

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