Public fears repercussions of POL bomb

Islamabad : People belonging to different walks of life have rejected the fresh hike in petroleum prices saying the hefty increase in petrol and diesel prices has broken the back of a common man completely. They condemned the rise in prices of oil products saying it will have repercussions on the prices of daily commodities, particularly kitchen items.

The business community has also warned of a fresh wave of inflation with this hefty hike in POL prices.

Pakistan Oil Tankers Association and All Pakistan Truck and Trailer Association also rejected the hike in prices of petroleum products.

The sitting government has announced to increase in POL prices and after the hike, the price of petrol has been fixed at Rs179.86, diesel at Rs174.15, kerosene oil at Rs155.56, and light diesel at Rs148.31 per litre.

The long route transporters have increased fares by Rs50 per ticket while freight services also increased their fares by 30 per cent here on Friday.

The local transporters without permission of the local administration have also increased fares by Rs5 stop-to-stop. The Metro Bus Authority (MBA) is also considering increasing fares by Rs10 due to the present hike in POL prices.

All Pakistan Traders Association (Punjab) President Sharjeel Mir has rejected the present hike in POL prices. He said that already a common man was upset in the country because of ever-increasing inflation. “All political parties should end blaming game, they should work hand in hand to boost up country’s economy,” he warned.

All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) President Haji Muhammad Irshad said that we are facing all difficulties due to the wrong policies of the previous government. The PTI government did not work to uplift the economy, so we are facing a hell-like situation, he denounced. The sitting government is the last ray of hope for the public to list the economy, he said. He strongly rejected POL prices and advised the sitting government to work hard to provide maximum relief to the public.

In fact, the transporters, traders, and the general public sharply reacted to the fresh increase in fuel prices. Wagon owners and drivers protested at the termination points of their routes in the twin cities while public transport operators of the Rawalpindi division would be meeting at the Pirwadhai bus terminal to discuss the situation.

The residents of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have appealed to the sitting government to stop inflation at the place otherwise people would come to the streets for protests.