Rawalpindi-based social and political leader Muhammad Amir Siddiqui, president of the Progressive Welfare Organization, condemned the latest surge in petrol prices as a grave injustice that pushes the public into an inflationary tsunami. He warned that record-high petrol prices will deepen the economic pain already felt across the country.
Siddiqui said the government may need to make difficult decisions, but those decisions must not exacerbate everyday hardships. After successive increases in electricity, gas and LPG rates, another jump in petrol prices will further squeeze households and small businesses, he observed.
Highlighting a growing divide, he criticized how the elite and well-connected continue to enjoy privileges while lower-income earners shoulder the burden. Siddiqui noted the unfairness of asking those earning thirty to forty thousand rupees to pay mounting energy and fuel bills while officials with six-figure salaries retain perks and exemptions.
To ease immediate pressures, he urged the government to introduce targeted and direct relief for vulnerable groups most affected by petrol prices, including motorcycle users and daily-wage laborers, so they can feed their families and sustain their contribution to the economy.
Calling for a change in national priorities, Siddiqui recommended austerity and frugality in public spending rather than deeper reliance on external borrowing. He emphasized that boosting exports over imports and reclaiming undue privileges from the affluent bureaucracy are essential steps to reduce inequality and mitigate the impact of rising petrol prices on ordinary Pakistanis.
