KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers in Sindh staged an unusual protest on Friday by arriving at the provincial assembly on donkey carts against the recent increase in petrol prices. PTI lawmaker Sajjad Ali, along with other party legislators, rode donkey carts from areas near the assembly to its main entrance while carrying placards and chanting slogans against the federal government. Speaking during the protest, Ali said the demonstration was intended to draw attention to the difficulties faced by ordinary citizens because of rising fuel prices. “Petrol has become so expensive that we cannot even come to the assembly in our vehicles,” he said, urging the government to immediately withdraw the increase in petroleum prices. The PTI lawmakers also called on government ministers and treasury members of the provincial assembly to travel to the assembly on donkey carts as a symbolic response to the rising cost of fuel. Fuel prices have increased amid renewed hostilities in the Middle East, which have disrupted major oil supply routes. The government is currently adjusting petroleum prices on a daily basis. Following the latest revision announced on Thursday, petrol is priced at Rs390.79 per liter, while high-speed diesel (HSD) costs Rs424.92 per liter. The prices include government taxes and duties of Rs114 per liter on petrol and Rs100 per liter on diesel. The Pakistan Bar Council has also condemned the frequent increases in fuel prices and called on the government to take measures to control the rising costs and provide relief to citizens. Meanwhile, the federal government has introduced a relief scheme for motorcycles, rickshaws and vehicles with engines of up to 800cc to reduce the impact of higher global oil prices. Under the scheme, users of motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingqis and other two- and three-wheelers are eligible for relief on up to 20 liters of petrol per month. Owners of cars with engines up to 800cc can receive relief of Rs100 per liter on up to 30 liters of petrol each month. The scheme encountered difficulties on its first day of nationwide implementation, with several petrol stations reportedly declining to accept the digital application, citing a lack of the required system to provide fuel at the subsidized rate. The federal government has also reintroduced austerity measures in response to the worsening fuel situation. The measures include setting 9pm as the closing time for markets and reducing fuel allocations for official vehicles by 50 per cent for three months.
