Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI) on Monday announced that the transporters will not increase fares over recent hike on petroleum products warning the transporters will hold a city-wide wheel-jammed strike if the recent increase in petroleum prices was not undone.
The Ittehad is holding an emergency meeting on Wednesday to draw up a future line of action after the fresh surge in the petroleum products prices triggered countrywide discontent, as many fears the government move would give rise to the inflation.
Talking to Business Recorder, President KTI Syed Irshad Bukhari urged the government to review the recent petroleum prices increase, saying the move would further burden the nation with inflation. "The government should immediately withdraw petroleum price increase," he demanded, and warned that if the government did not withdraw the price increase, the transporters would announce to suspend their city-wide operations to protest the fresh hike.
The meeting will be chaired by President Irshad Hussain Bukhari while in this connection UTS Operators Association, Supreme Council of Pakistan Transport and other transporters organisations have been invited. The president termed the recent surge of petroleum prices as 'drone strikes' on transporters by present government and demanded to immediately withdraw the increased prices of petroleum products done by Oil and Gas Regulation Authority (Ogra).
Expressing fears, Bukhari said the fresh increase would further push the already financially weak public transport sector to a permanent closure, dubbing the government's fresh petroleum policy as a "preplanned design" to shutdown the sector. He slammed the government for failing to control the inflation, which has badly hit the nation, saying it has no "regards" to the nation.