ABSTRACT
On the eve of Khizr’s assumption of the Premiership, shortages of foodgrains were reported from thirteen districts, of fuel from ten, sugar from six and salt from four. 1 Unable to spend their increased income, cultivators made a virtue out of necessity and redeemed land. Shortages of consumer goods fuelled inflation. The Lahore Retail Price Index rose from a base of 100 in August 1939 to 371 in August 1945. It had climbed still further to 398 by the time of the 1946 elections. 2
