Pakistan: Petrol price shock sparks province-wide protests as public anger mounts

Sindh [Pakistan], April 7 (ANI): Widespread demonstrations erupted across Sindh, with citizens and political activists taking to the streets in cities including Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Jacobabad to protest soaring fuel prices and rising inflation, as reported by Dawn.
According to Dawn, in Sukkur, the Sindh United Party (SUP) staged a striking protest outside the press club, where participants donned burial shrouds and observed a symbolic hunger strike.

Addressing supporters, SUP leader Eidan Jagirani criticised what he termed a misleading reduction of PKR 80 in petrol prices, following a massive increase of PKR 137 per litre in recent weeks. He stated that inflation had spiralled out of control, making necessities increasingly unaffordable for ordinary citizens.
At the same venue, workers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), led by Gohar Khan Khoso, held a protest. Khoso stated that fuel prices had climbed to PKR 378 per litre, severely impacting household economies. He cautioned that protests could expand nationwide if immediate relief measures and tax reductions were not introduced.
Meanwhile, the Awami Tehreek organised a large rally from Teer Chowk to Ghanta Ghar, followed by a sit-in demonstration. Leaders Noor Ahmed Katiar and Sarwan Jatoi accused the government of using global tensions as justification for raising fuel prices to unprecedented levels.
They dismissed recent subsidies as superficial efforts aimed at dampening public dissent. In Karachi, labour organisations, including the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and the Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF), led a joint protest, as highlighted by Dawn.
Demonstrators condemned both the fuel price hike and broader economic policies linked to international financial institutions. Labour leaders called for the removal of petroleum taxes, an increase in wages and a halt to foreign debt repayments.
In Jacobabad, a bicycle rally organised by the Aam Insan Tehreek highlighted the growing inability of citizens to afford transport costs. Protest leaders urged the government to cut its own expenditures instead of burdening the public, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)