PTI lawmakers arrived at the Sindh Assembly on donkey carts on Friday, September 18, to protest rising petroleum prices. The unusual protest was aimed at highlighting the financial pressure caused by expensive fuel and calling for relief for consumers.
PTI MPA Sajjad Ali Soomro led the protest. The lawmakers travelled from near the provincial assembly to its main entrance while carrying placards and chanting slogans against higher fuel prices.
PTI Lawmakers Protest Rising Fuel Prices
The protest came as petroleum prices rose in September. According to the Petroleum Division, petrol was priced at Rs390.79 per litre from September 18. The price of high-speed diesel also increased by Rs3.47 to Rs424.92 per litre.
PTI lawmakers called on the federal government to reverse the fuel price increase. They said higher petrol prices were putting additional pressure on households and increasing transportation costs.
During the protest, Sajjad Ali Soomro said petrol had become too expensive for lawmakers to travel to the assembly in their vehicles. He also called on government ministers and treasury lawmakers to use donkey carts if fuel prices continued to rise.
Sindh Assembly Also Seeks Fuel Price Relief
The protest followed a related move inside the Sindh Assembly. On September 15, lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution calling on the federal government to reduce petroleum prices and abolish the petroleum levy.
The resolution was moved by PTI-backed lawmaker Mohammad Owais and received support from both treasury and opposition members. Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon also supported the demand to withdraw the petroleum levy.
The assembly later called for relief from the impact of changes in international oil prices. Lawmakers argued that consumers should not face the full burden of frequent price increases.
The donkey-cart protest brought the issue back into the public spotlight. PTI lawmakers used the demonstration to reinforce their demand for lower fuel prices and relief for consumers.
The latest reports indicate that the lawmakers are continuing to seek a rollback of the recent petroleum price increase. No separate government response specifically addressing the donkey-cart protest had been reported at the time of writing.
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