Islamabad, April 4 – A sharp increase in fuel prices by the Pakistani government has triggered strong reactions from opposition parties and civil society groups, with calls for mass protests and demands for the removal of the coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to local media reports.
The opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, called for a "mass revolution" on Friday to overthrow the government, criticizing the record fuel price hike as "unfair and pro-elite," while the radical Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, announced nationwide protests.
Addressing a press conference at the Lahore Press Club, Raja warned that the nation had "reached a critical point" and called on citizens to take to the streets to remove the ruling coalition.
"We need a revolution to overthrow the incumbent government that came to power by manipulating the public mandate through Form-47," Pakistani daily Dawn quoted him as saying, referring to the official election result forms his party claims were extensively manipulated during the 2024 general elections.
Dismissing the government's claim that the recent surge in petroleum prices was due to global tensions, Raja said, "It was absurd to link the massive increase in petroleum prices with the US-Iran war."
He accused the Pakistani government of exploiting citizens with regressive taxation while indulging in extravagant spending on luxury vehicles and other perks for both civilian and military officials.
"Democracy directly benefits the poor, weak, and voiceless, but it was deliberately usurped, stole the public mandate, and silenced trade unions. When there is no political participation in a state, the weak and poor are unable to raise their voices," Raja said.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman declared a nationwide protest movement against the fuel price hike, threatening strikes and sit-ins if the government does not reverse its decision.
"The government must immediately withdraw the brutal and unjustified hike or face a nationwide agitation," Dawn quoted Rehman as saying during a convention in Lahore.
He appealed to citizens to prepare for strikes across Pakistan and warned that the houses of chief ministers in all four provinces would be encircled if demands are not addressed.
On Friday, the Human Rights Council (HRC) of Pakistan staged a protest at the Karachi Press Club against the fuel price hike, calling it "unjustified" and warning that it imposes an additional financial burden on the public.
According to the rights body, a large number of citizens, civil society members, and activists participated in the protest, expressing serious concern over the continuous rise in fuel prices and its direct impact on inflation and the cost of living.
"The speakers collectively demanded that the government take immediate steps to control inflation and provide relief to the masses. They warned that if such anti-public measures continue, the protest movement will be expanded further," the HRC of Pakistan stated.