PTI MPA Sajjad Ali did not drive to the Sindh provincial assembly on Thursday. He arrived on a donkey cart, dragging his feet past the main gate while holding a placard that called the latest fuel price hike a "petrol bomb dropped on the people." He was not alone. A group of provincial lawmakers mirrored his protest, riding the same humble vehicles to the assembly grounds to underscore a point: the cost of fuel has become so prohibitive that even political insiders cannot justify spending on private cars.
The trigger was the latest price adjustment, which pushed petrol to Rs 390.79 per litre and high-speed diesel to Rs 424.92 per litre. Ali, speaking in a video circulating on social media, demanded that ministers and treasury-backed MPAs adopt the same mode of transport. "The ministers and (treasury) MPAs should also reach the assembly the same way on donkey carts," he said, framing the protest as a direct indictment of federal policy. The cost burden is not hypothetical; it is the daily reality for millions of Pakistanis whose disposable income has been eroded by two months of rising costs, driven largely by renewed hostilities in the Middle East disrupting major oil supply routes.
The government’s response has been a mix of digital subsidies and strict austerity. Introduced this week, a relief scheme targets users of motorcycles, rickshaws, and small cars with engines up to 800cc. Eligible two- and three-wheeler users receive relief on 20 litres of petrol monthly, while small car owners get a Rs 100-per-litre discount on 30 litres. But the rollout was chaotic. On the first day, numerous petrol pumps refused to accept the new digital app, citing a lack of the necessary systems to process the subsidized rate. The disconnect between policy and infrastructure is stark.
Simultaneously, the federal government tightened its belt. On the same day the PTI protesters arrived on donkey carts, authorities ordered markets to close by 9pm and cut fuel allocations for official vehicles by 50% for the next three months. The Pakistan Bar Council also joined the chorus of criticism, with its Executive and Rules Committees calling the hikes "unprecedented" in a joint meeting on Thursday. They urged the government to take immediate steps to control prices and provide tangible relief to citizens, a request that has gone unanswered amid the ongoing supply chain disruptions.