The question is why people in other cities, including London and Lahore, so often stop at talking.

Living between London and Lahore has made me think about how much ordinary people share, despite their differences.

The more painful question is whether ordinary people will continue to pay that price quietly, or find the courage to ask why life has become so difficult and what can be done to make it better.

I live between London and Lahore. These are two very different cities, separated by thousands of miles, with different histories, cultures and ways of life. Yet, there is one thing that increasingly connects them: the rising cost of living.

In both cities, life is becoming more expensive. Rent takes a large part of people’s income. Food costs more than it used to. Transport, electricity and other daily needs continue to put pressure on household budgets. People work hard, earn money and try to manage their expenses, but many find that their income does not go as far as it once did.

What hurts me most is not simply the rising cost of living. It is the way people respond to it.

In London and Lahore, I hear people talking about mehangai, the Urdu word for inflation. They complain about expensive groceries, high rents, fuel prices and bills. They discuss these problems with friends, colleagues, relatives and........

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