CNG owners and employees from across the province have camped in Peshawar against the prolonged closure of CNG stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The protesters completely blocked the main highway near the Peshawar Press Club for traffic and raised strong slogans, which disrupted the city’s traffic system. The officials of the CNG Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while addressing the protest demonstration, have bluntly announced that the time for verbal consolations has passed. The leaders of the association said this sit-in and protest demonstration will continue until a final promise to open CNG is made to us today and a formal notification is issued.
The protesters argued that the closure of the CNG sector is not only sinking billions of rupees in investment but also causing starvation in the homes of thousands of employees associated with this industry. The protesters were holding banners and placards with demands such as “Stop economic carnage” and “Restore CNG stations”.
Hundreds of protesters from different districts of the province have blocked the road in front of the Press Club and staged a sit-in, causing severe hardship to ambulances and ordinary citizens. The association says that they want to remain peaceful but the government’s indifference has forced them to take to the streets.
The CNG Association has demanded that the provincial and federal governments provide gas to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as per its constitutional right and immediately lift the illegal ban on the CNG sector. The protesters have warned that if their demands were not resolved by this evening, the scope of the protest will be expanded to the entire province.
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