‘Low inflation’ claims fall flat as citizens feel the pinch

MOHAMMAD Altaf is not convinced by the government’s claim that inflation is declining; the daily wage labourer insists that a mere decline in flour prices cannot be termed relief when the prices of other essentials have spiralled out of control.

Altaf, who hails from Nathiagali, a hill station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been selling vegetables on his pushcart in Karachi for the past 25 years. He shares a two-room 80-yard portion with three housemates, for which they collectively pay Rs12,000 in rent every month.