LAHORE, 26 February 2008 (IRIN) - At a small general store in Lahore, Pakistan's second largest city, women queue up in the hope of buying a bag of 'atta' (wheat flour), an essential commodity for most households.

Such scenes have been commonplace since late last year, when a severe shortage of wheat flour started driving up prices and creating panic.

The situation has since stabilised somewhat thanks to measures taken to prevent the smuggling of flour to neighbouring countries, and hoarding, but supplies in many areas remain erratic.

Prices of flour - and other essential items such as 'ghee' (cooking fat), as well as many vegetables - remain high, and people pour into government-controlled stores where prices are lower.

"It is very difficult to manage. Things have never been like this before. We really struggle just to buy food," Shakila Rehmat, 35, a mother-of-four, told IRIN.

Her husband, who does two jobs as a dental assistant, brings in about US$150 a month. She adds to this by working as a domestic.

Others are less fortunate: "We just hope and pray the new government will listen to our pleas and do something to improve our plight," said Mansoor Anwar, a labourer who earns $5 a day or less.

Insecurity

On 25 February a suicide bomber killed at least eight people in an attack on an army general in Rawalpindi.

"We are tired of this endless cycle of death. I don't want my children to grow up in a country where hundreds die each year as a consequence of terrorism," said Amjad Saleem, a Rawalpindi-based shopkeeper.

Like others across the country, he is hoping the new government will bring stability and order. He said insecurity had affected businesses. "People no longer feel safe at crowded markets. That affects everyone in business, from roadside vendors, to giant retailers, to manufacturers," said Saleem.

Post election hopes

Pakistan's elections on 18 February revolved largely around the issue of food security, personal safety and security, and better health and education services.

"We lost because people were angry over the fact 'atta' was not available, that food prices were high, and due to this they felt insecure," said the former information minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, whose former ruling party suffered a huge defeat at polls.

Expectations for a positive change are high. With a new government to be established in days, there is a sense of growing impatience: "We voted for a better life. Let's see if our new government can give that to us. Otherwise, we will turn against them too," Muhammad Akram, who works in a private home as a night watchman, said.

"I literally begged my neighbours to help feed my three children just a few months ago, when I was unemployed… It was these people [opposition parties], rather than the government, that helped."

According to official figures, one-quarter of the population lives in abject poverty; the literacy rate is about 50 percent; most people do not have access to basic healthcare; and the threat of violence is ever-present. It remains to be seen whether the new government can deliver what people want.

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