A senior religious leader in Balochistan on Thursday asserted that market-dominating ‘mafias’ and hoarders are causing flour prices to skyrocket, crushing the public under the weight of inflation despite an abundance of wheat in the country.
In a statement, Moulana Qari Mehrullah, the Provincial Convener of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Nazriyati, contended that there was no hope of relief for the people through policies directed by the IMF.
He argued that inflation was “squeezing the blood of the poor” and proposed an alternative to imposing further financial burdens on citizens.
Mehrullah stated that instead of burdening the public, the country”s leadership should curtail the “privileges and luxurious lifestyles of ministers, advisors, judges, generals, and bureaucrats.”
He described the nation”s governance as a “corrupt and outdated system” that is the primary producer of recurring crises, making genuine economic development impossible under its dominance.
The cleric claimed an “exploitative class” is engaged in a losing battle to protect the capital of these corrupt mafias.
He concluded by likening corruption and malpractices to “termites” that have hollowed out the national treasury from within, identifying deep-rooted corruption as the fundamental cause for the continuity of crises in the country.