Simmering fires of Pakistan’s inflationary crisis could sever connection between citizens and state

The connection between citizen and state is becoming frayed to an extent I have rarely seen before.

In our national conversation, most of the reason for why this is happening has been ascribed to the rollback of rights and constitutional protections in recent years, a phenomenon that is accelerating rather than drawing to a close. Part of the reason for this emphasis is the large and outsized voice that lawyers have in our national discourse, and they necessarily see everything through the lens of law, rights and the Constitution.

But there is another reason that is at least equally important and, I will argue, more foundational. That reason is livelihoods. The most ferocious inflationary fire of our history still smoulders in our midst. In the last five years, my own per unit electricity cost has more than tripled. The price of petrol has gone from around Rs 100 (or slightly above) to somewhere around Rs 260 per litre. The dollar has gone from around Rs 150 to Rs 270 today, with further devaluations still possible in the months ahead.

I could go on and on to establish the fact that the past few years, whatever starting point you wish to choose, have seen a historic erosion...

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