Brig. (retd) Aslam Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW), said on Friday that the difference between the income and expenditure of the people has widened a lot, making their lives miserable. The majority of the masses are not able to survive even after compromising over the expenses incurred on children’s education and treatment, he said.

Apart from professional beggars, many lower middle-class people have also started begging to feed their families, he added. Aslam Khan said in a statement today that people are told that the government doesn’t have the resources to provide relief, which is wrong. There are plenty of resources, but they are for the elite rather than the people.

He said that the influential are being given an annual benefit of seventeen and a half billion dollars; all kinds of mafia, including the sugar mafia, are allowed to plunder the masses, but nothing can be done for the people because they are not the priority.

Aslam Khan said that in the current situation, people’s pockets and stomachs are empty and suffering from great psychological pressure, the effects of which will be felt by the entire society.

He noted that the former government, which came to power with the slogan of putting the economy back on track, left after handling its corruption cases and giving a free hand to the profiteers. He said there is no hope from the current government that it will take action against those who loot the people. Those telling the public that the government does not have the resources to provide subsidies should inform the masses where the resources to reward the elite come from.

Aslam Khan said that the fall of the rupee, the loss of confidence in the business community, and the collapse of the stock market show that the country’s economic conditions have become worse than before.

At present, no one is ready to invest in Pakistan; investment promises by the Gulf countries have not been fulfilled, and exports and remittances are falling, which means that the inflow of dollars in the country will remain low, which will keep the economy and the rupee under pressure. The current government will need help to stop the economic decline.