Women protest inflation, demand relief for the poor

LAHORE: Inflation in Pakistan is all time high since 1974, and in a country where about a quarter of the population lived below the poverty line even before the current crisis.

The cost of nearly everything has soared, pushing more people into poverty. The government must tax the rich instead of poor and divert debt payments towards relief for the working class.

These views were expressed by speakers during a protest demonstration followed by a seminar on ‘Economic Crisis, Rising Inflation & Impacts on Women’ organised Wednesday by Women in Struggle for Empowerment (WISE) here at Lahore Press Club.

A large number of women joined the protest demonstration and seminar. They were carrying banners and placards, inscribed with slogans in support of their demands for provision of relief on basic amenities to the poor and shift the burden of taxes on the rich. They demanded cuts on unnecessary development expenditures. Speaking on this occasion, Bushra Khaliq, Executive Director WISE said, the price of wheat flour, electricity, gas and petrol had reached a record high, adversely affecting the lives, livelihoods and overall well-being of poor people. She demanded the government review its priorities and divert debt repayments towards relief for the poverty-stricken people.