Sindh protests over fuel price hike spread across major cities

SUKKUR: Protests and rallies were held in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jacobabad and other parts of Sindh on Sunday against the recent increase in petroleum prices and rising inflation, with citizens, labour groups and political workers taking to the streets.

In Sukkur, the Sindh United Party organised a protest outside the local press club in which many workers wore shrouds and observed a symbolic hunger strike. Addressing participants, SUP leader Eidan Jagirani criticised what he described as a deceptive Rs80 cut in petrol prices after an increase of Rs137 per litre over the past month. He said the ‘genie of inflation’ had been unleashed and that essential food items had moved beyond the reach of working people.

At the same venue, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers led by senior leader Gohar Khan Khoso also staged a peaceful demonstration. Khoso said petrol had risen to Rs378 per litre and had badly affected household finances. He warned that if the government did not provide immediate relief and remove what he called unnecessary taxes, the protests would be widened across the country.

The Awami Tehreek also brought out a rally from Teer Chowk to Ghanta Ghar and later held a sit-in. Party leaders Noor Ahmed Katiar and advocate Sarwan Jatoi alleged that the government was using international conflict as a justification to raise petrol to Rs378 and diesel to Rs520 per litre. They were critical of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, calling recent subsidy announcements ‘cosmetic measures’ aimed at discouraging public resistance.

The same speakers also condemned US and Israeli policies toward Iran, saying such militarism posed a threat to global peace.

In Karachi, a joint demonstration was organised by the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan and the Home-Based Women Workers Federation. Protesters said they were opposing both the ‘petrol bomb’ imposed on the public and what they termed imperialist aggression against Iran. The gathering included workers as well as representatives of political and human rights organisations.

Participants carried placards calling for the immediate withdrawal of the petroleum levy and an increase in wages in line with the cost of living. Labour leaders including Nasir Mansoor and Zahra Khan rejected the economic frameworks of the IMF and World Bank and urged the government to defer foreign debt repayments and end free fuel entitlements for officials.

In Jacobabad, the Aam Insan Tehreek held a bicycle rally to highlight what it said was the public’s inability to afford motorised transport. The rally began at Shaheed Allah Bux Soomro Park, passed through major roads in the city and ended at the local press club.

Movement leaders Syed Ali Shah and Altaf Mirani said the rulers had ‘snatched the morsel from the mouths of the poor’. They said the government should sharply cut its own ‘royal’ spending and official protocols instead of placing more burden on the public.

Despite the tense atmosphere and heightened security presence in different parts of the province, no violent incidents were reported.