Unintended consequences
An almost siege-like situation had prevailed in Lahore over the last week as major roads into the city were blocked
An almost siege-like situation had prevailed in Lahore over the last week as major roads into the city were blocked. There are anecodotal and unverified but not impossible-to-believe reports of people, including schoolchildren, trapped at the motorway service areas either side of the city and unable to enter. Deliveries of essential goods have been interrupted as the supply chain broke down as demonstrations across the province brought a range of services to a grinding halt. The Punjab government ordered schools closed for two days because of fears about the security situation and what might develop from the unfolding situation at the Faizabad interchange between Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The Law of Unintended Consequences was operative everywhere.
In Lahore, many petrol stations closed, the knock-on effect of that being that commuters could not get to work, adding to the cost of the disastrous events at Faizabad. The roads blocked by the government presumably to limit the movement of those wishing to ally themselves with those causing the problem, merely added fuel to the fire of economic misery.
The situation eased by Monday evening but for many the damage is done. Those that work to slim profit margins — small businesses and start-ups for instance — may take months to recover. A lack of planning and forethought on the part of the government exacerbated an already fraught situation, with the common man the inevitable casualty. As ever when there is any sort of crisis prices of daily-use items spiked, and fruits and vegetables were suddenly beyond the pockets of poorer people. A rise of about 20% was observed in some markets in Lahore. There was no actual scarcity, but opportunist traders sought to profit as they invariably do. Come Tuesday evening and road communications were open and traffic plying as normal but it is going to take months to assess the cost. The political fallout will be analysed endlessly, but the consequences for those outside the political bubble are likely to be far reaching — and far from good.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2017.
In Lahore, many petrol stations closed, the knock-on effect of that being that commuters could not get to work, adding to the cost of the disastrous events at Faizabad. The roads blocked by the government presumably to limit the movement of those wishing to ally themselves with those causing the problem, merely added fuel to the fire of economic misery.
The situation eased by Monday evening but for many the damage is done. Those that work to slim profit margins — small businesses and start-ups for instance — may take months to recover. A lack of planning and forethought on the part of the government exacerbated an already fraught situation, with the common man the inevitable casualty. As ever when there is any sort of crisis prices of daily-use items spiked, and fruits and vegetables were suddenly beyond the pockets of poorer people. A rise of about 20% was observed in some markets in Lahore. There was no actual scarcity, but opportunist traders sought to profit as they invariably do. Come Tuesday evening and road communications were open and traffic plying as normal but it is going to take months to assess the cost. The political fallout will be analysed endlessly, but the consequences for those outside the political bubble are likely to be far reaching — and far from good.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2017.