‘Low inflation’ claims fall flat as citizens feel the pinch

MOHAMMAD Altaf is not convinced by the government’s claim that inflation is declining; the daily wage labourer insists that a mere decline in flour prices cannot be termed relief when the prices of other essentials have spiralled out of control. Altaf, who hails from Nathiagali, a hill station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been selling vegetables on his pushcart in Karachi for the past 25 years. He shares a two-room 80-yard portion with three housemates, for which they collectively pay Rs12,000 in rent every month. The power utility, K-Electric, sends him a bill of Rs10,000-12,000 per month for running “two to three LED bulbs and two fans” in the house, while three meals a day cost him between Rs800 and Rs1,000.