Pakistan govt forcing people to beg for flour, says Jamaat-i-Islami

The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Darband tehsil chapter has demanded that flour be made available to people all over the nation at subsidised prices and accused the government of humiliating and demeaning the poor, especially women, at flour distribution points.
At a press conference, the JI tehsil emir lamented that women were “disgraced” since they had to spend hours waiting in long queues to get a bag of 10 kg flour. Flanked by other office-holders, he warned that the JI employees would take to the roads if the government continued to “disgrace” the women. He was flanked by other officeholders.
Gohar said, “The government is not sincere in providing relief to deserving families as it has already increased the price of a 40 kg wheat flour bag to Rs 6,000 from Rs 5,200.” Instead, he suggested, the government should monitor inflation.
JI tehsil naib emir Ijaz Ahmed criticised the government for ‘forcing’ people to beg for wheat at the distribution centres. He said, “The government should announce such measures,” he continued, “which could significantly cut perks of ministers and bureaucrats and provide relief for the teeming millions in prices of food items.”
Notably, over 42 per cent of children in Pakistan are victims of stunted growth amid rising food insecurity in the South Asian country, The Express Tribune reported on Friday citing statistics released by UNICEF officials.
Similarly, 9.4 per cent of boys and 9 per cent of girls are suffering from obesity. In comparison, 20.5 per cent of young boys and 20.7 per cent of young girls were overweight respectively, according to the statistics provided by UNICEF officials.
“12.6% of young boys and 12.1% of girls suffer from diabetes,” they said.
The parliamentary task force examined the SDGs’ goal of achieving zero hunger during a meeting that was presided over by chairperson Romina Khurshid Alam. The officials presented to the task team the health situation of children in Pakistan, The Express Tribune reported.
Wheat is given additional iron, zinc, and vitamins in the country.
Soda, energy drinks, and junk food are prohibited around educational facilities only in Punjab, they said, as per The Express Tribune.
Notably, Malnutrition and food insecurity have become a crucial challenge for Pakistan despite multiple interventions over decades. The reeling economic crisis has now added to the miseries of people, The Express Tribune reported.