Karachi: High prices have made Pakistan more reliant on free food during Ramadan. Rising prices of goods and fuel due to the fighting in the Middle East have led to an increase in people attending free Ramadan suppers in Pakistan.

According to Thai News Agency, charity organizations and volunteers in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, have been setting up tables and mats along the streets for years, offering free iftar, the traditional evening meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during the Ramadan fasting month. This year, however, the turnout has been unusually high due to rising prices of food and fuel. Last week, the price of gasoline in Pakistan jumped by 55 rupees (6.40 baht) to over 320 rupees (approximately 37.20 baht) per liter after disruptions to global oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz due to fighting in the Middle East. A 44-year-old textile worker who came to receive free iftar with his family revealed that the current inflation means that a meal for two now costs at least 1,000-1,500 rupees (approximately 116-174 baht).

Pakistan has a Muslim population, accounting for over 90 percent of its 240 million inhabitants. According to the Pakistan Network for Free and Fair Elections (FAFEN), the minimum wage in Pakistan is 40,000 rupees per month (approximately 4,645 baht).