Protests continue in Pakistan over fuel prices hike

Karachi [Pakistan], June 5 : After Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government again increased the prices of petrol in Pakistan, the political party, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) staged a protest across Karachi.
The demonstrations were staged at 11 major points across Karachi. The protesters were carrying the placards and banners and chanted the slogans against the federal government for following the previous government, ARY News reported.
People from all over the region participated in the demonstration to record their protest against the recent hike in petrol to Rs 60 per litre in just one week, becoming the highest rate of all time. This massive hike has impacted the common people in the country, ARY News reported citing the press release.
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).
Another leader in the protest said that the government instead of providing relief to the masses is continuing to increase the petrol price as per directed by the International Monetary Fund. The leader further added that rising petrol prices twice in just one week was tantamount to the economic massacre of the nation, reported ARY News.
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 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.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani government employees are all set to hold a sit-in outside the country's Finance Ministry from Monday, demanding a raise in their salaries owing to the unprecedented increase in the fuel and electricity tariffs.
"The purpose of our token sit-in will be to sensitize the government on the issue of the employees. On June 9, we will hold a dharna which will be participated by thousands of employees from across the country," Rehman Bajwa, Chief Coordinator of All Government Employees Grand Alliance said and added that the government had increased petroleum prices by up to PKR 60 per liter which will cause a hike in the prices of other items. Therefore, government employees should be given a raise in their salaries in accordance with the inflation rate.
Bajwa said the employees will not call off their strike until getting an assurance from the government to implement last year's agreement to end the ad hoc relief and make it a part of regular salaries.
This sit-in comes as Shehbaz Sharif's government has unleashed a cumulative 40 per cent hike in fuel prices as well as a 47 per cent increase in the per unit tariff for electricity.