Jamaat-e-Islami has strongly rejected the recent increase in the prices of petroleum products by the government, calling the decision a cruel and anti-poor measure that will further crush the public, who are already ground down by the millstone of inflation.

In a strong statement, Jamaat-e-Islami Sindh Ameer Kashif Saeed Sheikh demanded that the administration immediately adopt an austerity policy and provide relief to the public by cutting its “royal expenditures.”

Elaborating, Sheikh said that the increase of Rs 4 per litre in petrol and diesel prices will further add to the economic hardships faced by the citizens. He highlighted that the government is levying historically high taxes on petrol, with the levy and other charges constituting 35 percent of the Rs 277 per litre price. The levy charges alone are more than Rs 100 per litre.

The political leader accused the current administration of being the “worst and most anti-poor government in history” and stressed that it has broken all previous records of taking internal and external loans while claiming to restore the economy.

He said that unrest is widespread, and people from all walks of life, including government employees, are actively protesting against the state’s anti-people policies. Sheikh emphasized that the government and the economy cannot be run on “loans and begging.”

The Jamaat-e-Islami leader concluded by demanding that the authorities withdraw the recent increase in petrol prices, end lavish government expenditures, and implement a policy based on simplicity and austerity.