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Massive protests have continued for the eighth day against the Pakistan government despite chilling cold, over the new hike in wheat prices and non-fulfilment of promises, vernacular media Daily K2 reported.
The government, keeping the charter of demand of the All-Party Alliance, Awami Action Committee and Grand Jirga at the tip of the plough, started collecting the new price after fixing the price of wheat at Rs 3600 per bag. After this, dozens of protestors gathered at sales points in Skardu in Gilgit Baltistan, which is under the Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) region. They protested and refused to buy flour at the new price and returned home without buying flour from several sales points. People have refused to accept the new prices and said that the government has come up with "anti-poor policies" and wheat and flour have become completely out of the purchasing power of the poor, Daily K2 reported. They have alleged that the announcements of the government have proved to be a lie, the promise of targeted subsidy has not been fulfilled, nor has the government's announcement of giving seven kilos of flour per person been implemented. They have said that by increasing the price of wheat, the people will be affected. "They were cheated, now the government people will have to face severe public protest, they will welcome the ministers in a unique way, now the people who increase the price of wheat will think a hundred times before doing so," the protestors said according to the vernacular media. They asked the workers to protest against the ministers of their party at "every intersection and expose the power grabbers". They added that if people remain silent now, the price of wheat per bag will exceed 10 thousand rupees. Notably, the ongoing public sit-in at Yadgar Chowk has entered the eighth day. Despite chilling cold, people kept chanting about wheat prices. Many old protestors also fell ill after the severe cold, according to the vernacular media. Chairman of All-Party Alliance Ghulam Hussain Athar said that the "anger of the people is for those who increased the price of wheat. And we will not be able to escape from anger. We will not retreat an inch from our demands". On the other hand, opposition leader Kazim Maisam has said that what was being feared has happened. "We had already said that only the price of wheat is being increased. Today, our concerns have been removed. We were with the people and we will continue to raise our voice in the assembly. The people say that we should participate in the sit-in. They are my people, we are not doing politics of negative politics, we are doing politics of values, any decision against public interests will not be acceptable," he said. President of Anjuman Imamiya Baltistan Syed Baqir Al Hussaini has said that people should not worry about flour at the sales points. He has said that everyone should go to Yadgar Chowk and it will be decided there whether people should buy flour under the new price or reject the new price, vernacular media Daily K2 reported. (ANI)
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