RAWALPINDI: The residentsof the garrison city, especially salaried and working class, have asked the government to reduce electricity tariffs and petroleum prices as these were further adding to their economic burden in the wake of the rising inflation.

Though people had pinned high hopes on the PML-N-led coalition government to mitigate price hike, unemployment, end energy crisis, the government has so far failed to come up to their expectations and provided no relief to the masses in the budget for the next fiscal year.

The surge in prices of petroleum prices created problems for the working class. After the increase in diesel and petrol prices, daily use items have further become dearer.

“The Shehbaz Sharif-led government provided relief to the lower class but did nothing for the middle class. People find difficulties to pay fee of their children, transport charges, electricity bills and others,” said Mohammad Mehmood, a resident of Westridge-III.

He said he belonged to the middle class and was unable to purchase cooking oil, sugar and pulses from utility stores as the relief was given only to those whose salary was less than Rs30,000 per month. “My salary is over Rs50,000 but it is difficult for me to pay the university fee of my two children and their transport charges,” he said.

The government failed to deliver despite the passage of two months. There is no difference between the PTI government and the PML-N-led coalition government as both followed the agenda of the international monetary institutions and put more burden on people,” said Nazim Hussain, 42, a private employee.

Nasir Awan, a government employee, said the unprecedented price hike will affect quality of common man’s life. He complained that pulses, vegetables, beef and chicken were being sold at ‘revised rates’ and transporters, taxi and rickshaw drivers were charging more after the increase in the prices of petroleum products. He feared that the prices of daily commodities would further shoot up.

“The rich is becoming richer and the poor is suffering from price hike and have turned to Sasta bazaars to get substandard vegetables andediblesat low rates,” said Raja Imdad Hussain, a customer at Raja Bazaar.

Faiq Ali, a resident of Committee Chowk, said the recent surge in transport fares, edibles prices, electricity, telephone and natural gas tariffs had put the middle class people in trouble besides exposing the hollow claims of the government to stabilise the economy.

He said the government seemed to have turned a blind eye to the serious socioeconomic problems facing the masses.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2022