‘Unstoppable price hike will kill the poor’

Rawalpindi : People belonging to all walks of life condemned the raise in petroleum prices and feared that it would cause unprecedented price hikes amid the declining economic situation.

Abdul Qadir, a resident of Rawalpindi, said, “The financial ability of the common man has reached its rock-bottom and he is left with no option but to put up with horrendous prospects of hunger and deprivation.” “The situation being faced by the people for the last many years has been the first of its kind and the most unnerving reality for them is that there is hardly any chance of the galloping price hike coming to an end and virtually no chance of it ever getting reduced,” he said.

Fiza Qureshi, a resident of Islamabad, said “The most troubling aspect of the issue is that the government appears to be taking cosmetic measures only to control the prices in the absence of a price and profit assessment and regulation mechanism, leading to record-high rates of commodities unbearable for the common man.”

She said “There is hardly any doubt that the current unstoppable price hike will make the life of the people more difficult and they will face unending financial problems. The government should immediately provide relief to the people otherwise the situation will turn from bad to worse.” Saghir Abbasi, a local transporter, said “An increase in fuel prices, means higher costs to operate buses and wagons. These costs are passed on to the consumers. It impacts the cost of consumer products to an increase in logistic costs.” “We are already experiencing an unprecedented spate of the price increase and this price hike has spared no quarter linked with everyday life. Now the fares of public transport vehicles will definitely increase in the coming days,” he said.