Shahid Khaqan Abbassi, recently opened Canada’s biggest brew company Tim Hortons’ outlet in Lahore. The coffee chain has reportedly generated record opening day sales and will open a further two stores across Lahore before the end of February 2023.
The internet was taken by a storm as pictures and videos of country’s elites emerged leaving people fuming over their lack of concern for the country’s economic crisis. Viral pictures of long queues at the cash-strapped nation’s first Tim Hortons coffee outlet have received a lot of flak. Many people questioned the elites who chose to queue up for hours infront of the international chain, waiting to buy a high priced coffee while the inflation rate in the country is at its highest level in the past 45 years. Even necessities like food and water are out of reach for many people. The food shortage situation across Pakistan is so dire that the trucks loaded with wheat have to be escorted with guards and people have to wait for hours to get subsidized bag of flour. The country’s burgeoning food shortage and a looming economic crisis is being felt by the poor people while the rich are spending thousands on mere a cup of coffee.
It was only last week when Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif termed Pakistan’s economic crisis as “unimaginable” as it recorded historic low of 275 to the US dollar. Given that the country’s inflation rate rose to 27 percent and it is currently on brink of default, one wonders if it was a wise decision to bring an international coffee chain to Pakistan. Moreover, it also highlights the wealth and income disparity in the country as the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. It seems that Pakistan is divided into two distinct stratas now, not leaving much breathing space for the middle class.
