Dr. Yasmin Rashid's Open Letter from Jail - 25 June 2025
The water war with India is on. Punjab, the largest province which is responsible for 60% of the agriculture in Pakistan, will suffer the most.
The elite budget has no relief for the poor. The overall situation has worsened in the last couple of years. Forty-four percent of the people are living under the poverty line, and there is 22% unemployment. Forty percent of the children, particularly in South Punjab, are suffering from stunting and malnutrition. One out of every three children is out of school, and nearly 50% of women are anemic. The agriculture in Punjab has suffered the most by the elite policy of this fraudulent government. There has been a 13% reduction in all our crops. Cotton suffered the most with a 30% deficiency. In a country where textile was world-renowned, the factories are closing down. The textile industry which bounced back during COVID is facing a major setback, particularly in Faisalabad. The farmers suffered where the wheat price was concerned, and the majority will not sow wheat in the next season as it is unaffordable. So food insecurity will be further enhanced by these steps.
There is a massive brain drain. Draconian laws like the PECA Act are being used to terrorize the masses. Human rights have been totally crushed. What little chance we had of justice has been totally eliminated by the 26th Amendment.
In the above scenario, it is cruel to say “all is well.” This is the mantra that the Form-47 foreign government is trying to promote, particularly by the handmaidens of the CM.
With all the poverty and problems, the CM of Punjab has spent more than 40 billion rupees of public money on her personal projection. This is the largest amount ever spent on personal publicity. Over and above that, she has had the audacity to have a law legislated by the Punjab Assembly to support all her extravagance. To protect herself from the previous expenditure, the law has been enacted retrospectively from 1st Jan 2024.
“What a country — we are worse than a banana republic.”
May Allah help us to get through this difficult time.
Pakistan Zindabad
Yasmeen Rashid