By Desk News
Government Drops a “Petrol Bomb” of Rs. 137 per Liter on the Public at Night — Nasrullah Randhawa
If the Increase in Fuel Prices Is Not Withdrawn, We Will Lay Siege to Parliament — Nasrullah Randhawa
On the appeal of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Ameer Engineer Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, a protest demonstration was held at the National Press Club Islamabad against the massive increase in petrol and diesel prices.
Addressing the protest, Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Islamabad, Nasrullah Randhawa, rejected the hike in petroleum prices and said that the Prime Minister had promised subsidies, but within a few hours launched an economic attack on the public. He questioned how petrol could be increased by 63% and diesel by 75% within a month, calling it poor governance. He stated that the government had “dropped a petrol bomb of Rs. 137 per liter on the public under the cover of darkness.”
On this occasion, Secretary General Zubair Safdar, Al-Khidmat President Altaf Sher, Muhammad Bin Sajid, and a large number of people participated in the protest.
Nasrullah Randhawa further said that the public had paid Rs. 11 trillion in taxes—could even 1% not be spent on their welfare? He questioned the purpose of the federal budget’s emergency fund and said that both federal and provincial governments could have prevented the increase in oil prices. Development funds could have been diverted to petroleum subsidies, and provincial governments could have provided a package of Rs. 300 billion to the federation.
He added that the current fuel prices are beyond the affordability of the average Pakistani. The record increase in petroleum prices will trigger a new wave of inflation, and once prices rise, they rarely come down. He also termed the motorcycle subsidy scheme impractical and difficult to implement.
Randhawa emphasized that in extraordinary circumstances, the government must take extraordinary measures. He demanded suspension of the revenue factor and urged the government to stand with the public. He called for the immediate abolition of petroleum levy, reduction of diesel import duty and carbon levy to zero for one month, reduction of GST to 10% for two months, and removal of monthly fuel adjustment charges in electricity bills for two months.
He strongly condemned the recent increase in fuel prices as an anti-people decision and rejected it outright. He said that once again the government has made the lives of the poor miserable by dropping a “petrol bomb.” Criticizing the priorities of the rulers, he said that there are ample resources for luxury planes and expensive vehicles, and for increasing salaries and perks of ministers and officials, but when it comes to providing relief to the common man, the government expresses helplessness.
He further stated that amid global war-like conditions, the government once again made the public a scapegoat. Instead of reducing its own luxuries and privileges, it imposed a 43% increase in petroleum prices overnight—reportedly the highest increase in the region.
Speakers at the protest also said that the government had increased motorway and highway toll taxes as well, adding further burden on people already struggling with inflation. They noted that transport costs had already surged due to higher fuel prices.
