From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: Goods transporters have suspended operations at Karachi ports and threatened to go on strike after a late-night hike in fuel prices, leading to fears of nationwide supply-chain issues.
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.
He said that a nationwide strike and other strict measures will be mulled over during the meeting. “We will also mull over hike in transport fares,” he said and added that they have no other option to shut down their operations.
PML-N-led coalition government on Wednesday has jacked up petrol price by Rs24 per litre.
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 12 am on June 15. Miftah criticised the previous government’s policies that, according to him, “deteriorated the country’s economy”.
The finance minister said the incumbent government was bearing the brunt of that, adding that currently, Pakistan, on every litre, was bearing a loss of Rs24.3 on petrol, Rs59.16 diesel, Rs39.49 kerosene oil, and Rs39.16 on light diesel oil.
