As we all know, Eid-ul-Azha is around the corner and all Muslims have started preparing to buy halal animals for sacrifice. However, it is appalling to see how prices of these animals are shooting up every day. Yesterday, while driving back home from work, I saw some goats near Hill Park roundabout. I parked my car and approached one of the sellers to find out the going rate for an average sized goat. Narrowing down the discussion to the price of one animal, the seller, after 20 minutes of rigorous bargaining, offered his lowest price - Rs 35,000. Certainly, the price was no way near my budget and out of frustration I asked him the reasons for such a high price. The response was an interesting one: Sayeen, this is Zardaris era and gone are the days of Pervez Musharraf. Now you will not find a healthy goat for less than Rs 40,000. This clearly shows that inflation has increased exponentially and purchasing power of the people has decreased considerably over the last three years. Our so-called elected peoples government has failed to control prices and provide relief to the people. The voter is fighting hard for his survival and those in power are sleeping peacefully in their palaces. Musharraf and his tenure may have been termed autocratic but it did give people what our current democratic government has miserably failed to provide prosperity. HAMMAD SHAMS, Karachi, October 27.