Dawn columnist criticizes Pakistani authorities for detachment from public concerns
In Pakistan, journalist Arifa Noor criticized government representatives for what she sees as a lack of empathy for the population amid rising fuel prices and weakening household purchasing power. In a column for Dawn, she described an incident at a pharmacy in central Islamabad: after a bill of approximately 4,000 Pakistani rupees was prepared, a woman returned some of the prescribed medicines worth around 1,000 rupees.
Rising household expenses
Noor writes that stories about loans, utility bills exceeding salaries, switching from cars to motorcycles, and buying lower-quality food are widespread in the country. According to her, the increase in petrol prices has become a subject of public attention, and people are discussing the possibility of the price rising to 400 rupees.
As the author notes, the government announced the relaunch of a subsidy program with changes, but the effectiveness of its previous version and the duration of its operation remain unclear. Noor also believes that public discussion pays too little attention to the possible impact of more expensive fuel on food prices, transport, electricity bills, and the population's purchasing power.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Social indicators and officials' trips
The columnist cites data according to which Pakistan's infant mortality rate ranges from 46 to 58 cases per 1,000 births. According to the figures she provides, nearly 20% of the population does not receive enough calories, while about 40% of children under five are undernourished and stunted. She notes that these figures are not new, so they cannot be linked solely to the economic difficulties of recent years.
Noor also links her criticism to private trips by the president and the head of the Punjab government to Europe on private jets. According to her, after public criticism, they said that they had paid for the trips personally. The author also mentions the use of a plane purchased by the Punjab government for a private journey, as well as the public display of a lavish wedding, calling these manifestations of political detachment from citizens' everyday problems.
