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The Economic Survey of Pakistan - 2005-06 made available a day before the budget, blames squarely "extra market forces" for the unprecedented hike in the prices. Given the ground realities and facts, hardly any one in the country would buy such dim-witted version.
Extra market forces may be one of the forces, but there're other factors responsible for the unprecedented price increase of essential goods, which of course include hidden hands of powerful persons, exploiting their positions of power and clout and the mafias and cartels, which the government does not like to expose for obvious reasons.
In any case if it is accepted for a while that the price escalation was strictly due to extra market forces then the only question which needs an answer is as to what measures did the government took to ease the situation?
Why such shortfall in supply could not be visualised and required steps taken to avert such crisis-like situation which has affected adversely the masses and the credibility of the present government at the same time?

Copyright Business Recorder, 2006

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