Hungry

Angry people foment revolutions and dissatisfied masses who are hungry, through no fault of their own, are the fodder which can bring countries to their knees, as the French know all too well. Yet, here in Pakistan, history appears to be something our leaders and policy makers know absolutely nothing about as they are systematically pushing people towards starvation on a number of fronts.

Basic food items increase in price almost weekly. Earning opportunities on the other hand, either remain static or, as a direct result of the power crisis, shrink. The meagre amount of rupees earned by millions of struggling people on a daily basis is no longer enough to provide two meals a day let alone the three, tea and other snacks taken for granted by people at the other end of the monetary spectrum. The gap between the haves and the have-nots has taken on frightening proportions as the so-called middle-class increasingly slides down the ladder into hard times exacerbated by debt.

The government though, does not appear to take the explosive situation seriously and, in line with the previous boom and bust of economies around the world, is opting for the promotion of grandiose schemes and financial shenanigans which do not contribute to the food security that the country so desperately needs. At this particular juncture, splashing out Rs870 million on Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park at Boat Basin, Karachi is nothing more than madness, serving as a monument to the idiocy of the government as far as the burgeoning millions of hungry poor are concerned. These hungry people may have supported BB during her tenures but, when it comes to crunch, they would much rather have food in their and their children’s bellies rather than a glimpse of a green park they are unlikely to be welcomed in.

Adding insult to injury, the sugar cartels are gearing to sell this commodity for more than Rs100 per kilo during the holy month of Ramazan when, contrary to the dictates of religion, profiteers have a field day. It is easy for the rich to say that underprivileged sectors of society should simply cut back on their sugar consumption and improve their health in the process but, it is a sad fact, that countless people have no option but to start their day, possibly end it too, with nothing more than half a roti dipped in an overly sweet cup of black tea. Simply put, sugar is an immediate source of energy which helps them to survive as items such as meat, chicken, dhal, rice, fruit and even vegetables are something they can ill-afford.

News that Pakistan is liable to have an exportable surplus of five million tons of wheat this year is unlikely to bring any relief to the poor who cannot afford to buy the same amount of flour they used to consume in the form of roti. The annual consumption of wheat has, despite an increase in population, fallen dramatically as it has become a luxury item for the common man. The Economic Coordination Committee is concerned that a bumper global wheat crop will bring profits crashing down to the ridiculous point of considering supplying mills with government-subsidised wheat to mill into flour for export. The hunger of the vast sea of people holding the country together doesn’t, apparently, at this stage, enter the equation.

Putting profit before people, particularly during this fragile period when it is these same people who pay the ultimate price for the war on terror, is tantamount to inviting Madame Guillotine in.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2010.