Petrol price hike: JI stages protests across Karachi

KARACHI: In response to the call of Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) leadership, protest demonstrations against a massive hike in petroleum products were staged across Karachi.

The demonstrations were staged at 11 major points across Karachi. The protesters, carrying placards and banners, chanted slogans against the government for following the footprints of the previous government.

People from all walks of life participated in the demonstrations to record their protest against the recent hike of Rs60 per litre in just one week, propelling the petrol prices to an all-time high. The massive hike has directly affected common men in the country, the press statement read.

Addressing the protest demonstrations, JI district chiefs and other leaders demanded of the government to withdraw the hike immediately. The JI leaders said that political groups in the ruling regime contest each other when it comes to pleasing the foreign master in the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Instead of providing any relief to already marooned masses, the incumbent coalition government continued to drop the petrol bomb as per directed by the IMF, a JI leader said, adding that rising petrol prices twice in just one week was tantamount to the economic massacre of the nation.

The JI leaders, addressing the demonstrations, dubbed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)’s tenure a continuation of the previous era of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s coalition government.

The protesters demanded the government to withdraw the hike, take solid measures to get rid of the IMF program and dictation and bring in a proper austerity drive within the elite ruling class. They also warned the government of mass-scale protests if the situation is not changed.