The previous coalition government partners are now pointing fingers at eachother, blaming each other for the rising inflation. It’s a blame gamereminiscent of a game of tag. However, the public is witnessing that thevery ministers who are currently indulging in rhetoric managed to securepositions of power and ministries when they joined the coalitiongovernment, but they did not take proactive steps to control the first andforemost issue affecting the public – inflation.
Firstly, the ongoing debate centers around the soaring electricity bills.All coalition parties have given the impression that the reason behindexpensive electricity is the Muslim League-Nawaz. However, the MuslimLeague-Nawaz, while adopting a defensive position, repeatedly stated thatit was not their government but a coalition government, so they cannot besolely responsible.
Nevertheless, due to the unrelenting rise in sugar prices, the MuslimLeague-Nawaz has also taken an offensive stance and laid the blame on theformer Minister of Commerce, who was a part of the People’s Party in thecoalition government. Before delving into this tussle, let’s talk about theincreasing sugar prices due to smuggling and hoarding. Sugar prices arecurrently skyrocketing due to these factors. In just one week, the priceper kilogram has increased by more than 50 rupees, and in many cities, theprices continue to surge even after the double-century mark. Justyesterday, Quetta witnessed a 15-rupee increase in the price per kilogramof sugar, and today another 15-rupee hike has occurred, bringing the priceper kilogram up to 220 rupees.
Karachi has also seen sugar prices soar to 200 rupees per kilogram, butsmall shops and markets have run out of stock. The rising sugar prices arecausing distress among the public. It was essential to control the risingsugar prices. The previous government could have played a part in thisissue, but they have now turned it into a political blame game. This matterintensified when senior leader of the Muslim League-Nawaz, Ahsan Iqbal,discussed the issue in a program, stating that the permission for sugarexports was granted during the tenure of the People’s Party’s Minister ofCommerce, who was responsible for the decision. Since the previousgovernment was a coalition government, all responsibilities cannot beplaced solely on the Muslim League-Nawaz.
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At present, sugar prices are causing great concern among the public.Ideally, steps should have been taken to control the rising sugar prices.The previous government should have collaborated with the currentgovernment on this matter, but they have instead chosen to engage inpolitical point-scoring. This issue became more intense when a seniorleader of the Muslim League-Nawaz, Ahsan Iqbal, discussed it in a program,claiming that the permission for sugar exporrs was granted during thetenure of the People’s Party’s Minister of Commerce, who was responsiblefor that decision. Since the previous government was a coalitiongovernment, it’s not fair to place all the blame solely on the MuslimLeague-Nawaz.
In conclusion, the blame game over rising inflation between the formercoalition partners has escalated, with each side pointing fingers at theother. The public, however, is more concerned about the tangible impact ofthese rising prices, particularly when it comes to essential commoditieslike sugar. While the issue of expensive electricity bills and sugar pricesneeds to be addressed promptly, the political rhetoric and finger-pointingseem to be overshadowing concrete solutions. It remains to be seen whetherthe government can put aside its differences and take effective measures toalleviate the burden of inflation on the public
