Pakistan: economic crisis, food insecurity and deadly incidents

06.04.2023

Author: Julija Stavar 

Team Pakistan Researcher. 

Pakistan is facing a looming economic crisis with inflation escalating to a record 35 percent in March 2023 (Reuters, 2023). In addition, Pakistan has also been affected by devastating floods last year that damaged more than 80 percent of the country’s crops (Shah, 2023). Even before the floods, food inflation was already high, especially in the rural areas of Pakistan, and people struggled to keep up with the rise in prices (Shah, 2023). In the last months however, the situation deteriorated due to high inflation and shortages, and the poorest in the country are experiencing food insecurity and malnutrition. In order to mitigate the impact of inflation, at least during the celebration of Ramadan, the government and local charities came up with measures to help people (Anadolu Agency, 2023). However, inflation also hit donors, meaning that donations have decreased, which negatively impacts the already struggling poor population as charities are failing to provide services (Reuters, 2023). 

As people gather in the streets and in distribution centers to buy subsidized food or to get cash from charities, a series of deadly stampedes have occurred, leaving many people injured or dead. As hundreds of people are lining up, the crowd surges forward and crushes people who can get killed in the chaos. The latest instance happened just a couple of days ago in Karachi, where 11 people, all women, and children, were killed when a scuffle broke out and some fell (Reuters, 2023). Among them was a seven-year-old boy, Saad Umer, who joined the crowd in a poor neighborhood (Reuters, 2023). Similarly, some days before this incident, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police fired tear gas trying to control a crowd seeking to get their hands on food supplies (Reuters, 2023). Altogether in the past few weeks around two dozen people, half of them in Karachi, have already lost their lives in stampedes during flour or charity distributions (Anadolu Agency, 2023).

Sources:

Anadolu Agency. (2023, April 6). Skyrocketing inflation leaves millions of people struggling in Ramadan. Pakistan Today. Retrieved April 6, 2023, from https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2023/04/06/skyrocketing-inflation-leaves-millions-of-people-struggling-in-ramadan/ 

Reuters. (2023, April 5). Deadly chaos as poor scramble for scarce donations. Pakistan Today. Retrieved April 6, 2023, from https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2023/04/05/deadly-chaos-as-poor-scramble-for-scarce-donations/ 

Shah, S. (2023, January 13). Why Pakistan Is Facing a Growing Food Crisis. Time. Retrieved April 6, 2023, from https://time.com/6247300/pakistan-food-crisis-climate-change-inflation/