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COVID-19: PoK residents claim they are not provided enough supply of essential commodities by Imran Khan govt

Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 14 Apr 2020

COVID-19: PoK residents claim they are not provided enough supply of essential commodities by Imran Khan govt

Islamabad: Failing to keep its promise, locals have claimed that the Pakistan government did not provide enough supply of essential commodities in the  Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK)  during the lockdown implemented in the region to combat COVID-19 outbreak.

People have claimed that there is a crisis of essential commodities in the region.

Moreover, the food items that are available at stores are being sold at much higher prices, further depicting the failure of the price control committees in tackling inflation, reported ANI.

M Altaf Butt, a politician based in Muzaffarabad, told ANI: "A number of days have passed since the lockdown was announced by the government amid the coronavirus pandemic. Though the government rolled out certain plans to cater to the needs of the public, nothing has been done thus far."

"Secondly, the government failed to tackle the growing inflation. At every place, shopkeepers are selling the goods at their own desired prices. The price control committees have miserably failed to control prices," Butt added.

People have also claimed gas cylinders are now being sold in higher prices.

Butt told ANI: "The Utility Stores Corporation of Pakistan that has its chain stores in almost all the cities of Pakistan occupied Kashmir but in all of these stores, the essential food items are not available. There is a shortage of other items as well. Moreover, the food items that have subsidy on them that too are unavailable in all the cities. Similarly, there is a number of problems concerning gas cylinders as well". 

He added: "There is some mafia working behind, that always sells the gas cylinders at their own desired prices and the government too could do nothing to stop it and thus fails to control the prices."

Pakistan has recorded 5812 COVID-19 cases so far. 100 deaths have been reported so far.