The Karachi Goods Carriers Association (KGCA) has rejected the government’s latest increase in petrol and diesel prices, as well as the mechanism used to determine fuel prices, warning of nationwide protests if the decision is not reversed within 24 hours.
Addressing a press conference alongside KGCA President Malik Sher Khan, Vice Chairman and Vice President Ayaz Khan, KGCA General Secretary Nadeem Akhtar Arain said goods transport across the country would be brought to a halt if the government failed to withdraw the fuel price increase.
He said transport offices would be shut down and major transport organisations would jointly launch nationwide protests.
Arain said Pakistan’s transport sector was the backbone of the country’s economy but had been consistently neglected.
He added that repeated increases in petrol and diesel prices had pushed transporters into a severe financial crisis by significantly raising operating costs.
He said that despite declines in global oil prices, the government had failed to pass on the benefit to consumers and transporters in Pakistan, resulting in steadily rising transportation expenses.
According to the KGCA, the government’s current fuel pricing policies have not only placed the transport industry under increasing financial pressure but have also adversely affected the broader economy.
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