Food and debt crises stoking instability.
FILE Ñ Emergency food distribution in Mekelle, the capital of EthiopiaÕs Tigray region, on June 26, 2021. EthiopiaÕs government on Thursday, March 24, 2022, announced what it called a Òhumanitarian truceÓ with forces it has been fighting for 17 months in the northern Tigray region, where millions are hungry and food aid has not been delivered since December. (Finbarr O'Reilly/The New York Times)
(April 01-2023) The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Saturday said inflation and growing insecurity of basic necessities is increasing instability in Pakistan.
People have been killed and injured in stampedes at sites distributing free flour under a government-backed scheme to help families struggling with soaring costs of basic staples, it said.
Thousands of bags of flour had also been looted from trucks and distribution points by people which indicates the desperation among the masses, said Dr. Hanif Mughal, SVP of PEW.
The country is cash-strapped, inflation is very high, forex reserves are insufficient and currency is depreciating which is a perfect recipe for civil disorder, he added.
He noted that floods have exacerbated the food crisis as they destroyed large swathes of crops while affected people are still waiting for any meaningful support from the government.
An estimated 800,000 hectares of agricultural land was wiped out driving up food prices in the country which is already struggling with inflation, he added.
Hanif Mughal said that presently more than 3.4 million children face chronic hunger while malnutrition among the poor has become more prevalent across the country.
Pakistan is facing a serious food and debt crisis and water stress has become widespread impacting women and girls that are responsible for water collection.
Hanif Mughal who is also chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Shadbad said that Pakistan is facing problems due to corruption, incompetence, and endless elitism while Bangladesh has moved 13 notches up to the 75th position among 107 countries in the Global Hunger Index, surpassing its neighbors India and Pakistan.
