21 hours daily load – shedding in PoK, high inflation in Baluchistan
The residents of Skardu town in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have been facing a severe power crisis for up to 21 hours, causing problems for all businesses, Pakistani vernacular media reported.
In Pakistan Occupied Gilgit Baltistan areas the residents were facing an average of 10 hours of load shedding. Apart from load-shedding, electricity outages, inflation and the wheat crisis have become major problems for residents, reported Baad-e-Shimal newspaper of Gilgit Baltistan.
The Gilgit-Baltistan-based, Awami Action Committee (AAC) will have a symbolic protest in Gilgit against unannounced load shedding and other issues. The AAC rejected the Occupation government’s decision to end the flour dealership and make sale points.
It was said that over 600 families would be forced to protest if the flour dealership is annulled and ways of corruption would open if sale points are started. it will increase unemployment too, according to vernacular media.
Pakistan has been impacted by devastating floods after which tonnes of wheat and other food products have been destroyed, showing the negligence of the government. This occurred at a time when the country was already dealing with inflation.
Even Pakistan Occupied Baluchistan has been facing a flour crisis for over the past three weeks, with mill owners blaming the provincial government for failing to procure the required wheat this year, according to local media reports.
Flour Mills Association (FMA) Baluchistan representatives said there was a huge gap between the demand and supply which created the crisis, ARY News reported.
“Flour mill owners were being blamed for the crisis, while in reality, the provincial government has imposed an inter-provincial and inter-district ban on the transportation of wheat during the harvesting season,” they added.
Notably, Pakistan has increased the prices of wheat and flour by up to 10-20 per cent. In Baluchistan, a 20-kg bag of flour was being sold from Rs 2,380 to Rs 2,500. Besides, the skyrocketing prices, the commodity was not available in most shops across the province.
