PPP holds countrywide protests against inflation

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: The PPP held countrywide protests against the rising price hike of essential commodities on Friday as the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics issued figures of increase in average prices of 25 essential items. Meanwhile, the prime minister reported a drop in poverty incidence due to ‘productivity-led growth to create employment.’

Former president and President PPP Parliamentarians Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while facilitating the party workers for holding protest rallies against inflation throughout the country, said the PPP could control inflation.

Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Prime Imran Khan used to say that he would quit power if even a slogan was raised against him but today the entire nation was united against the “selected” prime minister. He said the people’s protest on the streets was a message to Imran Khan that the nation does no longer want him as its ruler. “It is a referendum against the Imran Khan government,” he said and added the movement against the PTI government had now started. “The people have rejected the so-called change with their protest against inflation,” he said.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari, while praising the party for nationwide protests, said if the PPP can rebuild the war-torn country, it can also control inflation. There were two catastrophic floods in our time, but neither there was a shortage of food nor increase in inflation. Zardari said “we belong to the poor and the poor belong to us,” and claimed “whenever we come to power, we alleviate the problems of the poor.” Now every citizen of the country is suffering from inflation and unemployment. He said that we did not waste time in taking revenge as our priority was to serve the people. “We will return and rehabilitate the sacked employees and create employment opportunities,” he pledged. The former president said that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was now in the field and people will emerge victorious.

The PPP Islamabad had also organised a protest in Sector E-11, which was led by the Secretary General PPP Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari. Addressing the demonstration, Nayyar Hussain said that Imran Khan’s energy minister says Pakistan is a cheap country, because the minister does not buy and pay for anything from his own pocket, including petrol, electricity and gas. The poor who cannot have two meals a day are being ridiculed by this statement, he said. “The people and the opposition must come to the streets and overthrow Imran Khan’s government,” he said. The PPP secretary general said Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto will announce the strategy of the PPP’s next protest.

Criticising the government’s handling of the TLP protest, Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said that Sheikh Rashid Ahmed changes his statement every third day. He expressed sympathy with the families of the victims, police and civilians. “Why did the rulers sign such an agreement with the TLP?” he asked. A large number of workers and local leaders participated in the demonstration, including Syed Sibt-ul-Haider Bukhari, Iftikhar, Prince Malik Ajmal, Ijaz, Abrar Rizvi, Raja Shakeel, Adnan Shah, Shazia Batool, Umar Khan, Raja Imtiaz and Ehtesham Waheed Satti.

In Karachi, leading the Regal Chowk rally against the growing economic crisis and crippling inflation in the country, Vice President PPP Sherry Rehman said the PTI government had broken the 70-year record of inflation over the past three years. “Everyone is out on the roads protesting against this incompetent government and asking for the prime minister to resign,” she said.

Senator Sherry Rehman said inflation has reached an unprecedented 9pc in Pakistan according to the World Bank, which is higher than other South Asian countries in the region and instead of fixing this crisis, the government is warning of higher inflation. “This is exactly why the PPP is marching today against crippling inflation, and unaffordable life in the Naya Pakistan,” she said. She said it was clear to us that Imran Khan is no longer on ‘one page’ with the people of Pakistan.

Waving an electricity bill at the crowd, Sherry Rehman said should we burn this bill now like you used to on a container in D Chowk? When the crowd roared burn it, she said “No, we don’t burn bills and put people in more difficulties than they already face in Naya Pakistan. But we want the old electricity rates back that he (PM) burnt in Purana Pakistan.”

Senator Sherry Rehman said in 2020, the food inflation soared to a whopping 20pc, which was the highest in the region. Likewise, other essential food items like ghee, oil, sugar, flour and poultry have simply become unaffordable, she said. The government, she said, claims that the higher fuel prices are the result of international oil prices and claimed the oil prices are much lower now ($84/bbl) than during PPP’s time when they were at $110/bbl, but despite that we kept the domestic oil prices affordable and provided relief to the masses. Criticising the frequent price hike by the PTI government, the PPP senator said there is no end to the cruelty displayed by the PTI government as petrol prices go up every 15 days. “Petrol prices have increased by 49pc, while electricity rates have gone up by 57pc and the price of gas has increased by 350pc in three years,” she said. The industries are being closed due to the ineffective policies of the government, Sherry claimed.

The PPP senator said unemployment rate has reached 16pc in 2021 against 6pc in 2018. Similarly, the poverty rate has increased from 21.9pc in 2018, by 7.4pc in the last three years of the PTI government. The PPP vice president said this government is only focussed on juggling with figures to lower the unemployment rate and dismissing employees instead of providing 10 million jobs, which they promised. “We are on one page with the people and God, while the Prime Minister is not concerned with the people of Pakistan, but now the IMF, his selectors, an even America doesn’t call him either,” she added. Demanding PM’s resignation, she said “people are at their wits’ end and in the prevailing situation, it is only fair that the prime minister resigns.”

The PPP also brought out large protest rallies against inflation in Sukkur, Khairpur, Umerkot, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Thatta, Larkana, Nawabshah, Jacobabad, Ghotki and other cities of Sindh. Carrying bread and other edibles, they protested against the food inflation that has hit the country. They were led by PPP ministers, advisers, MNAs, MPAs and office-bearers, including MNA Syed Khursheed Shah, Minister Syed Nasir Shah in Sukkur, Adviser Nisar Khuhro, Khursheed Junejo, Jamel Soomro and others in Larkana, MNA Syed Javeed Shah, Pir Bachal Shah in Khairpur, in Nausharoferoz MNA Syed Ibrar Ali Shah, MPAs Mumtaz Ali Chandio, Sarfaraz Ali Shah, in Thatta Special Assistant to CM Sindh and PPP district Thatta’s president Sadiq Ali Memon and MPA Syed Riaz Shah Shirazi.

Addressing the charged party workers, the PPP leadership said that the prime minister has lost all moral, social political right to rule the country as he has brought unprecedented inflation instead of relief and deprived the people of shelter, jobs and fundamental rights.

They said the prices of utility items price have touched sky high, and alongside the rising cost of fuel, power and gas tariffs have badly affected the lives of the common man who finds it difficult to have two square meals. They claimed the PTI was forcing the people to commit suicide. Demanding Prime Minister Imran Khan to resign, the party leaders accused PM Imran Khan for failing to implement his electoral promises of providing housing and employment. They claimed the Tsunami of the PPP rallies will sweep away the prime minister and pledged to continue the protest till the resignation of the prime minister.

In Multan, the PPP activists staged a demonstration against the price-hike here. The protesters were led by PPP South Punjab senior vice president Khawaja Rizwan Alam and PPP Multan City Women Wing president Abida Bokhari. The activists staged a demonstration at Chowk Kutchehry and chanted slogans against the government. The protestors blocked roads leading to other parts of the city and observed a sit-in at the chowk. The protestors said that the government had created financial problems for the people and overburdened them with the increase of prices of different commodities.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan said according to the World Bank estimates, based on international poverty line of $1.90 PPP 2011 per day, poverty incidence has fallen to 4.8 percent in FY21 from 5.3 percent in FY20.

In a tweet, Premier Imran said, “acc to World Bank estimates based on int poverty line of $1.90 PPP 2011 per day, poverty incidence has fallen to 4.8 percent in FY21 from 5.3 percent in FY20; & is expected to continue downwards to 4.0 percent by FY 23. This is result of our policies of productivity-led growth to create employment.” The weekly inflation, based on the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), for the week ending on October 28, registered an increase of 1.23 percent for the combined income group, going up from 161.46 points during the week that ended on October 21 to 163.44 points in the week under review.

According to the provisional figures released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the average prices of 25 essential items — including tomatoes, mustard oil, chicken, potatoes, cooking oil, and eggs, among others — rose during the outgoing week.

Prices of four items, including onions, bananas, moong pulse, and garlic declined. Meanwhile, the rates of 22 essential goods remained unchanged. The bureau, in its weekly report, said that among food items, the price of tomatoes increased by a significant 11.42%. Meanwhile, prices of potatoes, sugar refined, eggs, mustard oil and chicken recorded an increase of 6.05 percent, 3.74 percent, 3.16 percent, 1.39 percent, and 1.09 percent, respectively.

Among non-food items, prices of LPG 11.67kg cylinder and electricity for Q1 rose by 3.89 percent and 2.98 percent. During the week under review, the price of onions dropped by 5.49 percent, while the price of bananas, moong pulse (washed) and garlic recorded a decrease of 3.51 percent, 0.80 percent, and 0.38 percent, respectively.

The SPI for the lowest income group increased by 1.29 percent compared to the previous week. The index for the group stood at 174.06 points against 171.85 points in the previous week. On a year-on-year basis, the inflation based on the SPI increased 14.31 percent. Moreover, government is mulling over increasing power tariff in the coming days.