KARACHI:
The holy month of Ramazan is eagerly-awaited in Pakistan, like in the rest of the Muslim world. Ramazan is not just about abstaining from food from dawn to dusk, but it is also a time of worship and charity as well as abstinence from bad deeds to please Almighty Allah and strengthen our relation with Him. While Ramazan is observed in Pakistan with great religious zeal, sadly there are people in the country for whom this month of blessings means minting money through profiteering and hoarding, leaving no opportunity to fleece poor consumers. This is in contrast with many other countries of the world – including those having minority Muslim populations – where special promotions and cut-price offers are made during the month of fasting.
Ironically in Pakistan, the prices of wheat flour, sugar, ghee, cooking oil, pulses, meat and medicines sky-rocketed with the advent of the holy month. While people belonging to the poor and low-income segments of society are finding it extremely difficult to cope with the back-breaking price hike, the Rs7.5 billion Ramazan relief package – which is meant to provide of basic food commodities at subsidised rates from utility stores across the country – is not proving sufficient. People have to wait for hours in long serpentine queues outside the utility stores just to secure a limited amount of essentials – like a kilogram of sugar or a small bag of wheat flour – on subsidised rates.
According to a saying of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), when the month of Ramazan starts, the gates of Heaven are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained. But it seems the real devils of our society cannot be chained.
Sadaf Quddus
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, April 23rd, 2021.
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