Sheikh Fayyaz ud Din, who is a member of the lower house from Rahim Yar Khan, took the floor on Wednesday during question hour and said something unexpected.

Fayyaz began by referring to the rise in the price of electricity to Rs50 per unit and the recent Rs20 hike in petrol price.

“With these measures poverty will not end, but poor people might,” Fayyaz added.

He then went a step ahead.

“I ask the government to tell us about legal ways to commit suicide so people fed up with poverty can die easily,” he said.

The government has been fighting an uphill battle to fix the economy since it came to power last year. Faced with depleting foreign exchange reserves and rising global oil prices, the government finally managed to get some respite after signing a deal with the International Monetary Fund.

However, pressure on the rupee continues to persist and prices of essential commodities also continue to rise as a result of increase in the price of fuel and electricity. For its part, the government says it is doing everything because of its commitments to the IMF deal.