PPP stages countrywide rallies against petrol price hike

KARACHI: Thousands of Pakistan People's Party workers came out in streets in federal provincial capitals and more than a hundred district headquarters across Pakistan to protest against exorbitant price hike of petroleum products on Sunday. Following the call from party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the protests were announced a day before by Central Information Secretary of PPP Chaudhry Manzoor.

Carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the fuel prices hike imposed by PML-N federal government, the PPP workers held demonstrations in front of press clubs in each city district and even Tehsil headquarters in all corners of the country.

It may be mentioned here that the PML-N government started rocketing up petroleum prices, especially after the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif. It appears that the PML-N government wants to create chaos and punish the masses, said a PPP worker protesting in front of the Karachi Press Club.

Demonstrations were held in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Multan, Muzaffarabad, Skardu, Fata, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Larkana, Nawabshah, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Khairpur, Kashmore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Gujrat, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Tank, Upper Dir, Mardan, Kohat, Mansehra, Bannu, Chitral, Dera Ismail Khan, Gwadar, Loralai, Turbat, Ziarat, Khuzdar, Qallat, Lasbella, Punjgur, Sibi, Nasirabad, Tharparker, etc. Addressing the protesters in different cities, the PPP leaders thanked Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for mobilizing the workers even in the remotest corners of the country. It may be recalled that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had strongly condemned the increase in PoL prices and termed this as victimization of the people on Wednesday.

The PML-N government has thrown petrol price hike bomb at every Pakistani household and everyone is going to be adversely affected by this, the PPP said in a statement. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the PML-N government was pursuing casino economy while poor are being squeezed and prices of utilities had gone through the roof. But rulers are singing all is well. The PPP chairman demanded immediate withdrawal of the PoL price hike, otherwise there will be public protests. He said that rulers' luxuries had dragged the masses into debts and urged the people it was time to rise.

Following his directives, the PPP issued a country-wide call for protests and demonstrations against the price hike for Sunday. In Larkana, the PPP Larkana district leaders and their workers held a big demonstration and staged a sit-in at the Jinnah Bagh against the hike in petrol prices and the electricity loadshedding in Sindh here on Sunday.

The protest was also joined among others by by PPP Larkana District President Abdul Fatah Bhutto, Mayor Aslam Shaikh and General Secretary Khair Muhammad Shaikh. The participants chanted slogans against the federal government which according to them has lost senses after the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif in Panama corruption case decision by the apex court. They said that people of the country were being subjected to uncalled-for increase in the POL prices, which could not be accepted. They said both the Sharif brothers had claimed that electricity loadshedding would be eliminated within six months of their rule but they had kept the nation on fake promises since the last four years due to which they had been exposed before the people. They said people were already suffering from worst poverty, unemployment and rising POL prices, which would only force them to live below the poverty line. They demanded withdrawal of increase in POL rates and end to electricity loadshedding.