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In a bid to tackle disgruntled citizens, Pak PM Imran Khan cuts prices of 'naan' and 'roti'

WION Web Team
New DelhiEdited By: Sparshita SaxenaUpdated: Aug 01, 2019, 11:16 PM IST
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File photo: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. Photograph:(AFP)

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The country is facing higher food and fuel prices which is fuelling a growing squeeze on household budgets.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to roll back the prices of traditional breads - naan and roti - across the country to appease disgruntled citizens facing the brunt of escalating prices of essential commodities

According to Pak media, while prices of a piece of naan ranged between Pakistan Rupees 8-10, roti was earlier sold for Pak Rupees 7-8. Khan has decided to roll back the prices of these essential, traditional breads from Rs 12-15 and Rs 10-12 respectively, The Dawn reported.  

Pakistan is grappling with a cash-strapped economy. Country's consumer inflation rate accelerated to 10.3 per cent year-on-year in July, from 8.9 per cent a month earlier.

The country is facing higher food and fuel prices which is fuelling a growing squeeze on household budgets.

Prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, which make up a third of the overall basket used to calculate inflation, rose 7.9 per cent with big jumps in the prices of staples including onions, pulses and sugar, news agency Reuters reported. 

There was also a 143 per cent rise in gas prices and a 23 per cent rise in petrol prices from the same month a year earlier.

PM Khan now faces growing anger over soaring prices. 

"The price of tomatoes is touching the skies," 30-year-old Shama Parveen, who walked several kilometres through Karachi's sweltering heat to find cheaper produce, told news agency AFP. "Life has become hard."

"I need to earn at least 1,000 rupees ($6.30) daily to meet my expenses," said 60-year-old Mohammad Ashraf, who sells henna dye.

"Nowadays I can hardly save 500 or 600 rupees... I sometimes think if I fall ill, how could I afford the medicines and treatment? I would die, I think," he said.