Priced out

The price hikes that have inevitably accompanied the ongoing month of Ramazan have been a cruel blow to the underprivileged. Nothing it seems can stop the hoarders and profiteers, including the government. Its claims of controlling prices fall flat when tested against the reality people face in the markets.

A handful of opportunists appear to be fixing prices at their whims and this all goes on seemingly unchecked. In many countries, it is customary to lower prices and offer discounts during religious holidays or festivals, enabling all to enjoy regardless of their socioeconomic status. The people should not be left at the mercy of profiteering and hoarding mafias and allowed to be crushed under the wheels of skyrocketing prices and criminal inflation.

Qamer Soomro

Shikarpur