As the cost of food and fuel eats up a larger share of meagre incomes, people are putting pressure on the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan to do something
Muhammad Nazir tends his shop in Sohawa, Pakistan, Nov. 14, 2021. Surging inflation is straining households and businesses in Pakistan, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Imran Khan to find solutions. “I am not making any profit these days,” Nazir said. (Salman Masood/The New York Times)
Muhammad Nazir canceled his daughter’s wedding. He parks his motorcycle at home and walks to his shop. Many of his shelves are empty because he cannot afford to stock the same supply of candy, soft drinks and cookies that he once did.
A growing number of his customers cannot buy his snacks anyway. The global inflation wave has dealt a severe blow to Pakistan, a country of 220 million people already struggling with erratic growth and heavy government debt.
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