Islamabad, April 6, 2026
Protests and rallies were held in Karachi, Jacobabad, Hyderabad, Sukkur and several other parts of Pakistan’s Sindh province against the recent increase in petroleum prices and rising inflation, local media reported on Monday.
The Sindh United Party (SUP) in Sukkur held a protest outside the local press club on Sunday. A large number of party workers participated in the protests wearing shrouds (kafans) and observed a hunger strike, Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn reported.
While addressing the protesters, SUP leader Eidan Jagirani slammed the government’s recent hike in petrol price and stressed that the “genie of inflation” had been unleashed, making essential food items unaffordable for the working class.
Simultaneously, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers held a protest at the same venue, where party’s senior leader Gohar Khan Khoso said that price of petrol has been increased to PKR 378 per litre and warned that the protests would be intensified if the government did not provide immediate relief and end unnecessary taxes.
The Awami Tehreek carried out a rally from Teer Chowk to Ghanta Ghar in Sukkur, followed by a sit-in. Awami Tehreek leaders Ahmed Katiar and advocate Sarwan Jatoi accused the government of using West Asia conflict as a pretext to raise petrol price to PKR 378 and diesel to PKR 520 per litre. The speakers criticised Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, terming recent subsidy announcements “cosmetic measures” aimed to discourage public resistance.
Similarly, the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) and the Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) organised the joint demonstration in Karachi, which witnessed the participation of workers and representatives from various political and human rights organisations. Participants carried placards demanding the abolition of the petroleum levy and a rise in line with the current cost of living.
Labour leaders, including Nasir Mansoor and Zahra Khan, rejected the economic frameworks of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, urging the government to defer foreign debt repayments and withdraw free fuel entitlements for officials, Dawn reported.
The Aam Insan Tehreek carried out a bicycle rally to showcase how people’s faced problems in accessing motorised transport in Jacobabad. Movements leaders, including Syed Ali Shah and Altaf Mirani, stated that the authorities had “snatched the morsel from the mouths of the poor.” They urged government to reduce its “royal” expenditures and official protocols instead of putting the burden on the people.
On April 3, the Human Rights Council (HRC) of Pakistan staged a protest at 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 said.(Agency)
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