In his address to the nation after proclamation of the state of emergency in the country, President General Pervez Musharraf hadmentioned, though very briefly, the problems and concerns of the people at large.
Yes. General Pervez Musharraf quite rightly mentioned that the common man is more concerned with his living, prices and availability of essential articles and keeping both ends meet with his limited income.
This brief mention of the common man's concerns and problems should not remain confined to the President's address to the nation. Some practical steps on priority basis are direly needed to be taken at the national and provincial levels for rescuing the people at large of their urgent and immediate problems.
General Pervez Musharraf is fighting the war on terror and every now and then reiterates his pledge to eliminate extremism, militancy and terrorism from the country.
In all fairness, if General Pervez Musharraf is keen to secure the support and co-operation of the masses at large for the success in the war on terror, then he should better address the issue of essential articles prices and black marketing due to hoarding and vested interests for minting money overnight by fleecing the needy, poor people.
If General Pervez Musharraf turns his attention towards the hoarders and black marketeers besides the militants, extremists and terrorists, the people would appreciate the same. He should know that much more than anything else, hoarders and black marketeers off essential articles like wheat and atta,rice, vegetable ghee etc as the worst enemies of the people and the State.
As such, General Pervez Musharraf should better turn his guns towards the hoarders and black marketeers who are solely responsible for soaring prices of essential articles. This essential articles price hike trend and scarcity also sooner or later will force the people to come out on the roads if their burning issues are not addressed, tackled and solved on top most priority by General Pervez Musharraf. Will he do so now that he has got sweeping powers in the state of emergency and go after the black marketeers and hoarders of essential articles?