KARACHI:
The prices of consumer items rebounded in the month of February as inflation edged up to 8.7 per cent as compared to 5.7 per cent in the previous month, according to the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). On a month-on-month basis though, there has been a 1.8 per cent rise in inflation primarily because the prices of cooking oil, pulses and petroleum products as well as the power tariff for end consumers had increased. Besides, there has been a steady rise in non-food inflation for the past few months due to higher energy prices.
Inflation stood at 9.3 per cent at the beginning of the ongoing fiscal year, it eased down to 8.2 per cent in August and then rose again to 9 per cent in September, according to the PBS figures. Since then, the inflation kept going down till it hit 5.7 per cent in January before rebounding to 8.7 per cent in February.
Thus, there was only a few months of relief, and the prices have mostly remained out of the reach of the common man. I request the government to take steps to bring down the prices of edible items as well as utilities charges because the poor and low-income groups, in particular, are finding it extremely difficult to make both ends meet. And as the fasting month of Ramazan is just round the corner, the government should offer a special package of relief for people.
Najeeb Sawali
Awaran
Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2021.
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