Price hike in Pakistan continues to affect middle class, essential food items remain out of reach

Karachi [Pakistan], August 1 : The uncontrollable inflation in Pakistan is now severely affecting the daily lives of people, and essential food items, including vegetables and pulses, have become inaccessible to middle-class people.
Moreover, the people of Pakistan are now forced to witness drastic price changes frequently. Muhammad Waseem, a vegetable seller from Karachi said that the people are forced to face these difficulties because of the price rise.
"Both the seller and the customer remain worried. On one day tomatoes cost PKR 120 per Kg and the very next day it rises to PKR 200 per Kg. The situation continues to grow worrisome," Waseem said.
Another merchant, Ghulam Fareed said that the ongoing monsoon has destroyed major supplies and now even the wholesalers are selling it on higher profit margins.
"Small shopkeepers like us get these supplies at higher costs. Hence we are forced to sell it even higher. The market hoarders also try to control the supply and so we are forced to make do with what we get. However, the consumer always blames us for selling goods at higher prices, without knowing the reality, of the market," he added.
Mukhtar Ahmed, a consumer in Pakistan, while expressing his grievances with the rampant inflation stressed that no one is affected, more than the consumers, because of the price rise.
"As the entire middle class is tense as we are not able to procure essential food items for our families. The government must design a policy to control the price of these essentials. The corruption which these vegetable sellers face on checkposts could also be one big reason for the rise in price as we are the ones who have to bear all that," he said.
Ahmed added that everything is affected by inflation, including the rents, bills and electricity.
"Not just food items, everything is affected by inflation, our rents, our gas bills and even electricity. We are the ones who have to bear everything ultimately. And we demand that the government should improve its policies before it is too late," he said.
He added that they are under so much economic pressure that affording a mere fan or AC at their homes has become difficult now.
"The government officials in Pakistan must also face this problem, they use facilities that we pay for without incurring any expense and we continue to remain burdened with price rise," he lamented.