The recent election held in Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (POJK) has not brought any relief to the people of POJK despite huge promises. The on-ground reality for people who had hoped for a better situation after the election is worse as locals now face even higher inflation and persistent problems that are supposed to be addressed by the administration of POJK.
Mohammad Altaf Bhat, an assembly candidate from the POJK region, expressed serious concerns over the ignorance of the administration towards the issues faced by the people. He said, “The people had hoped for better living conditions. All the Governments that took office in the past have looted us, and the conditions have grown worse in recent years. From petrol, and diesel to all the resources everything is becoming increasingly costly”.
“Just like in every other election, this time also the people had hoped for a better living situation. But this is still not the case. We were already struggling, but the severe rise in inflation affected all, be it the business community or the general public. You welcome to survey the market, and you can easily find out, how the businesses are barely surviving, and the people are trying hard to gather essentials for their families. And all this is just after a major festival of Ramadan and Eid has passed.”, he added.
While mentioning the price rise in wheat, the leader mentioned that he personally know several families that had to cut down on their meals to save some money. “This is just because of the inflation and as the income of the bread earner of any family does not remain sufficient. These people are increasingly drowning in debt due to the rising inflation.” He also mentioned that there was a little relief extended by the government just before the elections but that barely had an effect, those schemes may have relieved the business community, but the general public is still struggling to stay afloat.
“The people are struggling today to manage resources essential for survival like food, water, and electricity but the government remains unaffected. I believe that the loans that Pakistan has taken from several countries and international money lenders ends up increasing the pressure on the common people,” he added.
(with inputs from ANI)
