Slum-dwellers hit street in Islamabad against "back-breaking" inflation
Nov 08, 2021
Islamabad [Pakistan], November 8 : Faced with the "back-breaking" inflation, the slum-dwellers along with the protestors from various walks of life, protested against the Imran Khan government for failing to check the price hike of daily use items that has made their lives "miserable", reported a local media.
The demonstration was organised by a political party named Awami Workers Party (AWP) and attracted protestors such as slum dwellers, trade unionists and political workers, reported Dawn.
Demanding a break from the "pro-imperialist" policies of the Imran Khan government, the protestors said they were facing back-breaking inflation, unemployment, inaccessibility to quality education and illegal evictions, as per the newspaper.
Notably, the prices of flour and sugar have soared to Pakistani Rs. 76 per kilogramme and Rs. 150 per kilogramme respectively. The hike in petroleum prices has also added to the miseries of the people.
The protesting leaders from the AWP blasted the Imran Khan government for its failure to provide five million homes as promised to the poor and establish the Riyasat-i-Madina, reported Dawn.
The announcement of a list of demands was made before the conclusion of the rally that centred around a radical programme of social and economic redistribution, as per the newspaper. The protesting leaders also demanded the restoration of trade and student unions throughout the whole country.
Earlier, the people of Gilgit Baltistan, a territory under Pakistan's occupation, recently hit the streets against the government to demand an immediate check on the exponential rise in inflation.
Joined in by different political parties, the residents called the current dispensation a failure and said it had only brought misery to the people of Gilgit Baltistan.
Locals blamed that a policy paralysis in Islamabad coupled with the unscrupulous intent of Prime Minister Imran Khan's government responsible for the current situation where both the retail and wholesale inflation had touched a historic high.
Opposition leaders including the former Chief Minister of Gilgit Baltistan lamented what he said was an unfolding crisis where every single resident of the region was staring at a state-manufactured catastrophe.
