People Fighting Over Sacks Of Flour In Pakistan Leads To Stampede Amid Severe Economic Crisis. Video

This scarcity of wheat has led to public unrest in Pakistan. A stampede broke out as people scrambled to purchase subsidised flour, resulting in the death of a 40-year-old man.

Residents of three provinces in Pakistan — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan — are facing dire economic conditions and food shortages following last year's floods. In many areas, wheat has run out, leading to intense competition and even violence as people struggle to acquire even a small amount of flour.

Videos circulating on social media depict the desperate situation, with people scrambling to acquire flour from trucks and fighting over discounted bags in the market. The scarcity of food has led to widespread hunger, with reports of children crying from malnutrition.

According to the Express Tribune, thousands of people line up for hours every day to purchase discounted flour bags, as prices continue to soar. The cost of flour is particularly high in Karachi, where a kilogram is selling for 160 rupees, and in Islamabad and Peshawar, where a 10 kg bag is priced at 1,500 rupees per kilogram.

This scarcity of wheat has led to public unrest, with reports of a stampede in the Mirpurkhas district of Sindh resulting in one death. The stampede broke out as people scrambled to purchase subsidised flour, leaving a 40-year-old labourer dead after he fell in the melee.

Pakistan's economic crisis comes amid a severe power shortage in the country. The energy crisis has led the government to impose a closure on markets and malls by 8 pm to reduce energy consumption in the country. Under the plan, markets and malls will close at 8.30 pm, and wedding halls will close at 10 pm. In addition, the use of inefficient appliances will be banned, which is expected to save the country around Rs 62 billion ($273.4 million) annually.

Pakistan's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 24.5% in December, a significant increase from the 12.3% recorded in the same period last year, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The inflation rate was higher than the ministry of finance's expectations, which ranged from 21% to 23%.

Experts attribute the rise in inflation to a number of factors, including the impact of higher international commodity prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, damage to crops due to devastating floods in the country, and rupee depreciation.