Chaos in Pakistan During Ramzan | Why Are People Cursing Their Own Rulers?

The Price of Chicken in Pakistan Reaches All Time High During Ramadan: During the current Ramadan, Pakistan has seen awe-inspiring increases in poultry prices. Even more astonishing than Chicken's price soaring to 800PKR per kg in the open market is the astounding fact that chicken meat is fetchiing a staggering 8000PKR! Pakistan is engulfed in extreme isolation. people claim that the Shahbaz Sharif government has only passed bills that further deepen the inflationary crisis, making mid class citizens literally fight in the streets for basic necessities.

debilitating inflation

Currently, my traveling to and from the USA is bit difficult. Eid is approaching, and here in Pakistan there is very little food to purchase. I feel like that there should be so much joy with eid coming up, but in reality there is only mourning in the silence. It feels heartbreaking. The government is in so much debt, but yet the citizens seem to be struggling as well because there is little food. Neither seems to be able to suffere properly. The situation is grim. The nation is deeply troubled by the process of continually borrowing new money. The outrageous rate people are claiming chicken meat to be in Thatta city is 900 rupees per kilo. Fruit and meat prices are at their all time high charge of 800-900 rupees per kg. It is absolutely rediculous, especially for someone on a budget which makes it impossible."

If anything, things would get better at the start of Ramadan, but many items have gotten increasingly expensive with time and people. On top of that the prices I had expected to be low unfortunately have skyrocketed which make no sense.

trouble at hand

Pakistan is facing a tragedy of an epic scale and Anarchy is controversially the most eloquent of these tragedies. Stressed urbanites claim that fasting has become exceptionally difficult in the current economic climate. Urgent government action to bring down inflationary pressure is critical so that there is some relief during the Ramadan festivities.

Poverty is rampant and the sheer increase in chicken prices is staggering. For the moderates, chicken has truly surpassed their economic stratosphere. Chandai traders claim chicken prices in Karachi have skyrocketed by 100 to 150 rupees per kilogram in the last four to five days. To stem the economic tide, the Shahbaz Sharif government has mandated a price cap of 400/kg. This has been met with riotous refusal from retail sellers and poultry farmers. The storeowners reserve this belief that the prevailing market price affording to make a profit is 700Rs. To make matters worse, poultry farmers are gearing up for nationwide demonstrations in defiance of the ruling. The government is evidently forced to grapple with these forces that have chicken at their boiling point and simultaneously have the economy on fire.

Pakistan Furious on Chicken Prices!

The cost of live chicken is 440 rs and we are currently buying it for 640 rs which is giving us sleepless nights trying to figure out what rate we should tell the customer and what rate should we sell it at. According to the government's rate sheet, they claim that the cost of live chicken is only 447 rs but their rate sheet from the government is set at 590 rs and we are buying it for 640 rs so we are losing 50 rs per kg. There is further irritation due to the fact that their so called “solution” offers no solution at all.

In the coming days, due to the strike of poultry traders, inflation is expected to worsen rapidly if there is a total shutdown on chicken supply. Prices are set to increase even more. Until now, the government has not put forth any significant plans towards meeting this challenge.

All hope must come from Shahbaz… oh my god.

Public sentiment indicates that during Ramadan, it is the shopkeepers who turn beastly. They are absolutely robbing us. If only they would learn from other countries which tend to lower prices drastically during the Christmas festive season. We have our Prime Minister promising Ukrainian refugees with cash giveaways of 10,000 rupees and food handouts – money which practically doesn’t exist. Ramadan is better than us, they increase the price for everything.

According to the local news, the trend had been increasing across the borders, but now it seems to be normalized in Pakistan – chicken is no longer a basic commodity.

As soon as Ramadan started, the price of broiler chicken in Karachi has surged by over Rs. 120 – 150 per kg which means that they stand at Rs. 720 – 800… before Ramadan, we were laughing at the prices when they stood at Rs. 600 – 650. For some reason, many Pakistanis seem to think that the price of chicken within the country has reached even higher than that!

Shahbaz offered up a hen alongside everything else.

Islamabad, Rawalpindi...The price of chicken skyrocketed in Punjab, especially in Ramadan, where it usually decreases in price. Chicken is now out of the reach for poorer people. The price of chicken used to sell for 10-12 thousand maunds and now it is Rs. 18,800 with no signs of returning to normal any time soon.  

People are panicking and wondering how inflation is going to help Pakistan.

For the citizens in Pakistan, not only chicken, but other necessities are becoming too expensive. The anger among the people is growing. The cost of basic needs like bread, dal, rice, and meat is rising the most. In light of this massive scale inflation, the Pakistani government tried to intervene by placing a fixed price for flour, something they did for chicken, but no one listens to their set prices. There is no one to help. The government is out looking and helpless. The cost of chicken is currently being sold off at 800-900 rupees per kg while the cost of meat is now 2700.

The price surge does not seem to stop as fruits and vegetables are included.

Currently, we are at the farmers’ market and as we know, the prices are lower here. However, due to Ramadan, even the prices here have increased. To elaborate, it does not matter who holds power in Pakistan, once Ramadan begins, all promises made by ‘Bhaijaan’ go out the window. Instead, they capitalize on Ders profiteering. For those who choose to stock or hide away goods, this period becomes matchless in generating revenue during what is called the month of blessing, Ramadan. There is rampant corruption within government systems as files containing evidence of fraud rest untouched. Profiteers alongside government officials have become parasitic, feeding off the nation’s resources until there are none left.

Inflation has transformed us into 'beggars'

People are claiming that because inflation is so high, everything needs to be sold, and there are crores of people desperately begging in Pakistan. It is as if the state has rendered them impotent. People are wandering the roads to feed their children and Shahbaz Sharif says that he is making arrangements to install loaned gold stairs for the common public. There is fierce competition in the nation for a loaf of bread, the soaring prices of chicken during Ramadan or the prices that have exceeded government moderation do not astonish, but rather force one to ponder, has Hindustan and Pakistan left the signal at the same time on two railway lines, but where did one halt, and where did the other one arrive?

Just how severe is the economic condition of Pakistan? Look at the latest statistics…

The International Monetary Fund has provided a $7 billion loan, which they are heavily reliant on. Muhammad Aurangzeb, the Minister of Finance for Pakistan, has recently begun preliminary discussions on the $7 billion loan with the IMF. If it goes well, we can expect the first tranche of $1 billion to be disbursed. The rest will be rolled out over the next three years.

Government is borrowing money…while the public are suffering!  

A common cry from the people now is, "Should we try to afford even a basic meal?" The cost of fuel and sugar has skyrocketed, and like it or not, there is nothing the common man can do. It is the ruling elite who are at each other's throats. They are borrowing funds and feasting on the money while the citizens whose needs are basic are struggling to even survive.

The month of Ramadan brought extreme inflation of goods and services.

Everyone is already saying that they are running out of everything and blaming it on grocery spending. The magnitude of the price increase for chicken is astonishing. Chicken has really become out of reach even for the middle class. Whom will the average citizen be answered to? With the country itself setting in a downward spiral, poverty has been embedded on the forehead of the civilians like a blemish. There people are especially the destitute perish in every year and all the saddening part is that there is no redeeming knight in shining armor present to help them.

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