Pakistan is facing its worst economic crisis, with food inflation reaching abnormal highs
The Shehbaz Sharif government has provided free flour under the free flour scheme to around 15 mn underprivileged households during the month of Ramzan
Pakistani citizens can be seen looting free flour meant for poor people from trucks. Many videos from areas like Peshawar, Punjab and Islamabad have gone viral
In the video, a group of people can be seen climbing over a truck delivering free flour while pushing each other. Locals looted this truck before it reached the distribution centre, as per reports.
Media reports have also claimed that a 50-year-old woman died while queuing for flour whereas two others fainted due to the huge rush of people and lack of facilities in Punjab’s free flour point
People looted another truck carrying wheat in Islamabad. In an almost two-minute-long video on Twitter, people can be seen climbing and assembling around a truck and taking out as many sacks of wheat as they can
A Twitter user named Abubakar Sadiq shared a 45-second-long video and tweeted, “Outside the private flour mills located on Charsadda Road in Peshawar, citizens are being humiliated by standing in queues to get free flour.”
There has been a record surge in the prices of daily items in Pakistan as of March 27. Onions went up by a whopping 228% from Rs 40 per kg to Rs 131 per kg whereas wheat flour prices have gone up by 121% from Rs 1,172 per 20 kg to Rs 2,586 per 20 kg
Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
- Rice: Rs 188 per kg after an 81% hike
- Moong dal: Rs 281 per kg after a 69% hike
- Eggs: Rs 239 per dozen after an 80% hike
- Potatoes: Rs 58 per kg after a 57% hike
- Petrol: Rs 273 per litre after an 81% rise
- Diesel: Rs 294 per litre after a 103% hike