ISLAMABAD: After Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government increased the prices of petrol in Pakistan for the third time, goods transporters suspended their operations at Karachi ports and have even threatened to go on for late-night strike.
Rana Aslam, the head of the Karachi Goods Transport Association said that an unprecedented hike in fuel prices and inflation is unacceptable for them. "We have suspended our operations at the ports and summoned a meeting to chalk out a future strategy against the hike in fuel prices," he said as quoted by ARY News.
Aslam said that a nationwide strike and the transport fees will be mulled over during the meeting. He further added that they had no other option but to shut down their operations.
Pakistan Muslim League-N-led coalition government on June 15 has again hiked the petrol price by Rs 24 per litre, reported ARY News.
The announcement was made by Finance Minister Miftah Ismail while addressing a press conference in Islamabad, citing government was not in a position to bear more subsidies anymore.
He said that the new prices will come into effect from midnight on June 15.
Ismail criticised the previous government's policies that, according to him, "deteriorated the country's economy."
Ismail said the incumbent government was bearing the brunt of that, adding that currently, Pakistan, on every litre, was bearing a loss of Rs 24.3 on petrol, Rs 59.16 diesel, Rs 39.49 kerosene oil, and Rs 39.16 on light diesel oil.
Meanwhile, the prices of high-speed diesel (HSD), petrol, kerosene and light diesel oil (LDO) have gone up by a massive 83 per cent, 56 per cent, 73 per cent and 68.4 per cent respectively, since May 26, Dawn newspaper reported.
The IMF wants Pakistan to take strict measures to control its fiscal deficit in the face of a balance-of-payments crisis. Pakistan Finance Minister Miftah Ismail had alleged that the Imran Khan-led government did not tell the people about these agreements.