Former President of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) Dr. Shahid Rasheed Butt on Thursday said hunger is killing people in Pakistan.
Masses are facing one of the worst food security crisis due to increasing inflation and shrinking incomes, he said.
Managing food has become difficult for the majority of the population as profiteers and hoarders have been given a free hand, he said.
Shahid Rasheed Butt said that people are taking children out of school and putting them to work to get some additional income in order to survive.
People all across the country are facing problems but the worst situation is in the former FATA and in Balochistan.
The business leader said that hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity have become common in the country as a recent report of the World Food Organization has said that at least fifteen million people Pakistanis need immediate help and seven million children need emergency nutrition.
Shahid Rashid Butt said that practical steps will have to be taken which is not possible at the moment because politicians and several important institutions are engaged in the battle for power.
He noted that Bangladesh has substantially improved food security, food diversity, maternal and reproductive health.
The Bangladesh government is providing clean drinking water, education and proper sanitation and vitamins are added to flour, rice and edible oil for public health, while the situation in Pakistan is different.
The largest population and the largest number of flour mills are in Punjab, where essential nutrients are not added in the flour, he informed.
