In years gone by, my monthly gas bill never exceeded Rs8000 during the winter. This month I received a gas bill amounting to Rs43000. My neighbours and the domestic helpers also told me that their bills had quintupled lately.
I did not go further in probing about the cause of these mind-boggling gas charges when I read a World Bank report from September pointing out that Pakistan’s development has disproportionately benefited the elite class and the country’s progress in terms of poverty reduction has reversed. One wonders how the working classes can afford such high gas bills. I do not foresee any leader coming to power after the upcoming elections who will have the courage to curtail the privileges of the elite in order to facilitate poverty alleviation.
Dr Najeeb A Khan
Islamabad
