Long march prompted by high inflation in Pakistan: Sherry Rehman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman has said that the country’s economy has been surrendered to international powers for the first time in Pakistan’s history, resulting in skyrocketing inflation, making living conditions miserable and forcing people to take to the street against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The PPP leader also warned that the final countdown had already started both in the parliament and in streets against the federal government of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Dawn newspaper reported.

She claimed that the opposition parties were reuniting after a small break following the removal of “misunderstanding” among them.

“Pakistan has run 23 different financial programmes with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and they all came to a successful end. But it’s for the first time in the history of Pakistan that our economy has been surrendered and now it is under the control of world powers. Now the long march is not only for the sake of politics, but it is also for the survival of the economy and the common man, whose life has become unbearable. Therefore, we appeal to every Pakistani to support this march,” she said, as per Dawn.

She came up with details of differences in the present and past prices of edible and household items and fast increasing rates of electricity and energy and said it was the main reason the PPP had to plan the long march.

“Petrol, which was Rs80 per litre, has now reached Rs160 per litre,” she said.

“The price of electricity has increased from Rs 8 per unit to Rs 21 per unit. The average domestic gas bill that amounted up to Rs 300 for 70 years has now gone up to Rs 4,800. Ghee was selling at Rs 170 per kg but it is now selling at over Rs 400 a kilo. Similarly, the sugar rate has risen from Rs55 per kg to Rs125 per kg.”

She said that the US dollar rate was Rs105 but during the PTI government, the rate has increased to Rs 176.

PPP Sindh general secretary Waqar Mehdi said that the long march will start from Mazar-i-Quaid on February 27 and will reach Islamabad after six days. (ANI)