Can price hike cost this man his rule?
He may loose support of powerful establishment over unchecked price hike.
- ISLAMABAD: When Imran Khan came into power in 2018, the masses in Pakistan had one thing in mind that Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) government was going to bring relief for them in at least three major areas ..price-hike, rising corruption and delivery of justice without compromising dignity of its seekers.
Before coming to power, Imran Khan had made countless promises not only to bridle powerful political elite who compromised state interest to plunder public money of this country , but also to bring considerable positive change in their lives to live a better life in the future.
The people of Pakistan trusted Imran Khan and took his promises as achievable target. They had an impression that Imran Khan was a charismatic personality and perhaps a last hope to resolve their long outstanding problems confronting them in day-to-day lives. They were already moaning under unbearable price hike. Their income as compared to expense was shrinking quickly. They were convinced that rising corruption and plundering of the resources by the political elite during the last one decade was a basic reason of their problems and once these plunderers bow out of the power and a honest leader like Imran Khan comes in everything will change for good.
They were also made to believe by media that sharply increasing foreign and domestic debt was another major factor of their financial woes and once Imran Khan takes over his government will give some guideline to pull Pakistan out of debt trap and the money which Pakistan was paying to debt providers it will come into the system to bring financial prosperity in the country. This picture of strong and prosperous Pakistan was given to the masses by nobody else, but Imran Khan himself.
One thing which needs to keep in mind that all ingredients required for a positive change in Pakistan and make the masses’ lives at least better if not ideal in practical terms were very much there when the crickerter-turned politician took over in 2018.
For example, the youth of this country was passionately ready to work with PTI leadership to make Pakistan a new country where merit and justice could only factors for everyone to lead the society. The powerful establishment of the country was firmly standing behind Imran Khan to take the bulls by horns and make quick fixes to overpower odds created on purpose by previous dishonest and corrupt rulers like Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari and last but not the least every member of the society was ready to use his/her potential to change rotton and corrupt system and bring in a system having a fair play for everyone.
Alas, Imran Khan ,instead, coming true to the hopes of innocent people of Pakistan, turned like a horrible nightmare for them.
Soon after taking oath as a prime minister , he rose up in his chair in parliament to make only one announcement ” I will not spare these national docaits” , His finger was directing towards opposition benches.
His one point agenda of not sparing his opponents as they had plundered Pakistan’s resources made some appeal to the public in the beginning, but doing it again and again , started to fade this narrative in the people’s mind who wanted him to deliver on other real problems like price hike, unemployment and, as promised by him ,bringing of a society wherein merit and justice prevail.
But these elements were perhaps non existent in Imran Khan’s mind. He, instead of taking these issues, banked on just idealistic political statements. Then he brought in an idea of Riasat-e- Madina.
To make the people feel that he had great pain for shelterless and pro poor he introduced the concept of “Lungerkhanas”. Here ,too , his government forced business community, especially the chambers, to provide “khana” to those who come to “Lungerkhanas”. In other words, this concept of setting up “Lungerkhanas” too was used for cheep popularity.
But real issues ,where he miserably failed ,are price hike and unemployment.
- The prices of commodities and edible have doubled in the last two years of PTI rule. Take atta , sugar, lentil, cooking oil, vegetables , fruits , medicines anything their prices have gone up 100 percent to 300 percent since 2018 when Imran Khan came into power.
The prices of medicines have been increased 8 times in just 4 months and no body from The government bothered to take its notice. Rather, Dr Fasisal and other concerned have been publically justifying irrational increase in the prices of life saving drugs. It appears as if mafias are ruling the country.
In the case of the utility bills , name any bill right from gas, electricity, house tax, water charges , they have been increased disproportionately.
This has made the people lives miserable. The poor, which count over 40 percent of total population of Pakistan ,today have no option to either take their children back from school as they do not have any income to pay for their education or compromise on their least requirements of life. The middle class ,which was basically a magnet to keep the society on the move and pay taxes to the state to keep it functional through their small and medium businesses, is too in serious trouble now. It is not managing to strike a balance between fast shrinking income and rising expenses . The businessmen and industrialists segment is already not trusting Imran Khan and hence either waiting for good days for investment or sitting at home to let Pakistan’s economy bleed.
- The priority of filthy rich , who may make only 10 percent may be even less , is money making neither the country not its the people. They can bag their money and leave to any other destination of choice to make more money and live a happy life. It’s only poor or middle class of the society which represent real face of any country and these two segments of our society are groping in the dark to find a way out from the current hell-like situation created by Imran Khan’s government through unpredented price hike. Unfortunately, neither prime minister, Imran Khan , nor his team is bothering to feel the pain through which the people of Pakistan are going right now. Rather taking any correction to cope with rising price hike, the minister’s and other close aide to Imran Khan are behaving indifferently. They are posing in their media talks as if the people themselves are responsible of the price hike and hence making their lives miserable.
They, instead making fun of the people’s miseries, should realise that the people desperation is going to turn into unrest in the country and, God forbid, it’s Imran Khan and his government which will be at the loosing end.
According to NEWSMAN’s information, the establishment of this country is also seriously worried about unchecked price hike and it may result in loosing of its so for unflinching support to Imran Khan’s government.
- The warring opposition is already in the field and making every possible effort to exploit the masses over price hike issue. In the current scenario, time does not seem on Imran Khan’s side.