Pakistani traders announce nationwide conventions after Eid to protest record inflation
Pakistani traders on Saturday announced holding nationwide conventions after Eid Al-Fitr to protest unprecedented inflation and deteriorating national economic conditions, with food, beverage and transport prices surging up to 50 percent year-on-year.
The announcement came as the consumer price inflation in Pakistan jumped to a record 35.37 percent in March from a year earlier and more than a dozen people died in stampedes for food aid. The March inflation number eclipsed February’s 31.5 percent.
Speaking at a press conference, Kashif Chaudhry, president of the main association of traders in Pakistan, blamed the record inflation on the government’s “poor policies.”
“Along with the public, traders are being affected the most by inflation. Markets are deserted, factories are closed and workers are unemployed,” he said.
“We will hold nationwide conventions after Eid and will take to the streets if the issues were not resolved.”
