Islamabad, April 4 (NationPress) A significant surge in fuel prices by the Pakistani government has ignited fierce opposition from political parties and civil society organizations. This has led to calls for widespread demonstrations and demands for the ouster of the coalition government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as reported by local media.

The opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General, Salman Akram Raja, urged for a ‘mass uprising’ to dismantle the current government, denouncing the unprecedented rise in fuel prices as ‘unjust and elite-favoring’. Meanwhile, the radical Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, declared plans for nationwide protests.

During a press event at the Lahore Press Club, Raja emphasized that the nation had “reached its lowest point” and called upon citizens to take to the streets to unseat the ruling coalition.

“We are in dire need of a revolution to overthrow the current government that seized power while undermining the public mandate via the Form-47,” he stated, referencing the official election results forms that his party alleges were manipulated during the 2024 general elections.

Raja dismissed the government’s assertion that the latest spike in fuel prices was linked to global conflicts, labeling it as “nonsense” to connect the drastic increase in fuel prices with the US-Iran tensions.

He accused the Pakistani administration of exploiting the public through regressive taxation while engaging in lavish expenditures on luxury vehicles and other benefits for both civilian and military officials.

“True democracy should uplift the poor, weak, and voiceless; however, it has been deliberately undermined, public mandates have been stolen, and trade unions silenced. When politics is absent, the weak and impoverished cannot voice their concerns,” Raja articulated.

In a separate announcement, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman initiated a nationwide protest campaign against the fuel price increase, threatening to organize strikes and sit-ins if the government does not reverse its decision.

“The government must swiftly retract this brutal and unjustified price hike or brace for a nationwide upheaval,” Rehman warned during a gathering in Lahore.

He urged citizens to prepare for strikes throughout Pakistan, cautioning that the residences of chief ministers in all four provinces would be surrounded if their demands go unaddressed.

On Friday, the Human Rights Council (HRC) of Pakistan held a protest at the Karachi Press Club against the fuel price hike, labeling it “unjustified” and cautioning that it adds an extra financial strain on the populace.

The rights organization reported that numerous citizens, civil society members, and activists participated in the protest, expressing grave concern over the ongoing rise in fuel prices and its direct impact on inflation and living costs.

“The speakers collectively urged the government to take immediate actions to curb inflation and provide relief to the public. They warned that if such anti-people measures persist, the protest movement will escalate further,” the HRC of Pakistan stated.