India
Leading the demonstrations will be JI chief Siraj Ulhaq, along with senior party figures including Liaquat Baloch, Ameerul Azeem, and several other provincial leaders. This sit-in follows a previous protest organized by the JI against inflated electricity bills and the broader issue of rising inflation, as highlighted in the ARY News report.
During a committee meeting chaired by the party’s secretary general, Ameerul Azeem, JI leaders outlined the schedule for their ongoing protests against inflation, marking their commitment to addressing these pressing concerns. This protest arose in the wake of an earlier significant hike in the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel on September 1, when the interim government of Pakistan raised fuel prices by up to PKR 18 per litre.
The decision to stage this sit-in comes in response to the recent announcement by Pakistan’s caretaker government regarding an increase in petrol and diesel prices. The price of petrol was raised by PKR 26.2 per litre, resulting in a new price of PKR 331.38 per litre. Additionally, the diesel price underwent an increment of PKR 17.34, reaching a new price of PKR 329.18 per litre.
Various political parties have previously criticized Pakistan’s caretaker government for the substantial hike in petrol prices, contending that it will place additional strain on the populace, who are already grappling with inflation and diminishing purchasing power, as reported by Pakistan-based Dawn.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has sharply criticized the caretaker government’s decision, asserting that the price hike appears to be a deliberate attempt to exacerbate civil unrest in the country. PTI has argued that the rising prices of essential commodities have already eroded the purchasing power of citizens.
The PTI spokesperson further stated that the caretaker government’s actions resemble a continuation of the policies of the previous government. PTI called upon the Pakistan caretaker government to abandon this approach of penalizing the inflation-affected masses for their economic policies, as reported by Dawn.
In response to the latest increase in petrol and diesel prices, PTI has called for an immediate rollback of the price hike. Meanwhile, the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party’s Secretary, Firdous Ashiq Awan, has also decried the price hike, emphasizing the need for the caretaker government to provide relief to the masses instead of burdening them further. Awan stated that her party’s manifesto for the upcoming general elections would offer solutions to the issues faced by the people.
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