Naureen Ahsan earns more than twice the average wage in Pakistan, but the school administrator says she has no choice but to homeschool her daughters and delay their London-board certified final exams because she can't afford their education.
Like most people in the nation of 220 million, Ahsan and her husband, who owns a car servicing business, are struggling to cope with a surge in living costs triggered by the government's devaluing the currency and removing subsidies to pave the way for the latest tranche of anPakistan is no stranger to economic crises - this is its fifth IMF bailout since 1997 - but economists say the latest measures, which include higher taxes and fuel costs, are hurting educated professionals.
The government-mandated minimum wage is about 25,000 rupees, but with inflation at a record 31.5% in February, its highest rate in nearly 50 years, many people who earn much more than that say their salaries do not last the month. "Unfortunately the poor in Pakistan are left with nothing to lose," said Abid Suleri, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute of Pakistan, an economic think tank. "Educated professionals... find their purchasing power and savings eroded, and daily consumption either unaffordable or out of reach."
During the holy month, Muslims traditionally break their daylong fast with special foods and at large family gatherings, culminating in the Eid al-Fitr festivities. This year, for many people, Ramadan means more belt tightening.
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