As Pakistan struggles with one of the world’s greatest economic crises, millions of citizens are unable to enjoy the holy month of Ramadan due to increasing inflation.
Ramadan & Today’s Inflation
Decades of high inflation and enormous rupee depreciation have further eroded the already diminishing purchasing power of millions of people, making it nearly hard for them to make ends meet.
Nonetheless, the government and local charities have devised a number of strategies to lessen the impact of inflation, at least during Ramadan.
Gulzar Ahmad stood in the midst of a queue, waiting for his turn to buy groceries at a makeshift Ramadan bazaar where he could obtain a big discount compared to the market.
This “discount bazaar,” located in a middle-income neighbourhood in Karachi’s central district, is one of dozens of improvised facilities where locals may buy critical food items at a 30 to 50 percent discount during the holy month.
Piles of fruits and vegetables could be found in the bazaar’s back row, while stalls of basics filled the front rows. A price list indicating the difference between market and discounted rates was posted at the bazaar’s entrance.
Pakistan’s Effort in this ramadan
“I have been buying groceries from here since the advent of Ramadan as it is the only place where I can get stuff at significantly discounted rates,” said Ahmad, a retired government employee, who relies entirely on a pension.
“I could buy at least limited items from the market during last Ramadan, but this year, it’s unthinkable due to a massive price-hike and rupee devaluation,” he told Anadolu.
“Thank God, there are still some places that we can afford (to buy staples), at least during Ramadan,” he maintained.
Al-Khidmat Foundation, one of the country’s major charities, Sailani Welfare Trust, Baitussalam Welfare Trust, and other organisations have set up bazaars throughout the city.
This year, the charities that would normally organise street iftars (sunset meals to break the fast) for commuters and the destitute have adjusted their plans.
“Things are altogether different and difficult this year, not only for the poor but also for the citizens from middle-income bracket due to grinding inflation and unemployment,” said Rashid Qureshi, a director of Al-Khidmat Foundation.
Qureshi told Anadolu that the organisation has switched its resources from street iftars to discount bazaars so that ordinary residents might experience some alleviation.
Pakistan is one of the world’s most generous countries. Aside from voluntary gifts, the government has made Zakat mandatory, making it one of the few Muslim countries where it is mandated by the government.
One of Islam’s Five Pillars is the Arabic word “Zakat,” which translates to “that which purifies.” This mandated alms-giving is determined at 2.5 percent of a person’s annual excess wealth at the conclusion of the year.
Flour-for-free programme
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and it is the month of fasting for Muslims all over the world.
Last week, a video went viral on social media showing a swarm of desperate residents storming into and robbing a makeshift camp set up by local youngsters to sell commodities at discounted prices in Karachi’s eastern sector.
The urgency echoes the nation’s feelings as it seeks external finance while reeling from an extreme financial crisis exacerbated by a growing balance of payments issue, with foreign reserves decreasing to slightly more than $4 billion.
Following the steep depreciation of the rupee, consumer price inflation reached 35.4 percent in March, the highest level since June 1974.
In recent months, the rupee has fallen to an all-time low of Rs286 per dollar, making it one of Asia’s weakest currencies. Until April 2022, it was Rs188 per dollar.
The federal and four provincial administrations, for their part, have established a free or subsidised flour programme for the country’s poor and low-income residents.
Despite the fact that hundreds of thousands have benefited from the scheme, around two dozen civilians, half of whom died in Karachi alone, have died in stampedes during the distribution of flour and rations in various regions of the country over the previous few weeks.
‘Reduced’ bread project
The nuclear country has seen an extravagant rise in flour and rice costs, owing mostly to the devastation of vast areas of agriculture in Sindh and Balochistan by extreme floods last year, as well as the disruption of imports from Ukraine following its war with Russia.
Agro-based Pakistan produces an average of 20 to 24 million tonnes of wheat per year, compared to its real requirement of 30 million tonnes. Islamabad imports the remaining wheat from various countries, primarily Ukraine.
Over the last several months, the price of flour has risen to Rs140 per kilogramme from Rs72 per kilogram, making it difficult for more than 20% of the population to obtain enough grains to satisfy their tummies.
According to the World Bank, the poverty rate is anticipated to reach 37.2 percent by 2023.
Baitussalam Trust, a Karachi-based charity, has developed a programme to distribute subsidised bread to the underprivileged during Ramadan.
The charity has built up dozens of ovens across the country, primarily in Karachi, to cook and distribute bread to the underprivileged for a small fee of Rs5 per day.
“The motive behind the idea is to provide bread to the families that cannot afford (buying) enough bread to eat at suhoor (pre-dawn meal) and iftar,” Huzaifa Rafiq, an official of Baitussalam Welfare Trust, told Anadolu.
He stated that the charity is considering continuing the project after Ramadan.
Food packaging
Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is well-known for its lavish iftars held in major markets, parks, and mosques. This Ramadan, however, a new tendency has been introduced to the already-established practise.
“A majority of people have been badly affected by the fresh wave of inflation, and unemployment in the country. Therefore, this year, we are delivering food packages, enough for a month, to 2,000 poor families across the city,” a local businessman, Haji Shahabullah Khan, told Anadolu.
While the iftar ritual differs slightly in rural Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders nearby Afghanistan, most locals break their fast at mosques.
“This is a centuries-old custom (to break the fast at mosques). It’s kind of a one-dish party,” Abdullah Yousafzai, a resident of the remote Dir district, told Anadolu. Every villager brings a single dish along with dates to the mosque for iftar, he said.
While in the capital Islamabad, locals host lavish iftars, primarily in low-income neighbourhoods.
Others hand away cooked food outside mosques in a number of underprivileged neighborhoods, particularly in the capital’s outskirts.
According to the Al Khidmat Foundation, rations are being distributed to thousands of poor people in Lahore and other provincial districts who have already registered with the foundation. Under its “Aghosh (embrace) project,” the foundation also runs over 30 orphanages across the country.
To read our blog on “How to make the most of the last 10 Ramadan nights,” click here
