A sharp surge in petroleum product prices has ignited twin crises in Peshawar and across the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, massive transport fare hikes and a spiraling flour cost, while pushing angry transporters onto the streets in protest.
On Saturday, dozens of transport operators gathered at the Hajji Camp Terminal, Peshawar chanting slogans and demanding an immediate reduction in petrol and diesel rates.
Addressing the rally, transport leader Zubair Ahmed Qureshi said the relentless price increases have “taken away even the courage to speak.”
“CNG is unavailable on one side, and petroleum prices keep rising on the other,” Qureshi told demonstrators. “Eid is approaching, but hyperinflation has made shopping impossible. Unemployment had already broken the poor. This is a great oppression on the low-income class. Flour is now beyond the common man’s reach. More inflation means burying people alive.”
The protest came as transporters confirmed their fifth round of fare increases within a single month following the latest fuel adjustment. AC vehicles saw the steepest rise, while non-AC bus fares jumped five per cent. For travel from Peshawar to Nowshera, Mardan, Abbottabad, Haripur, Swat, and Malakand, fares have increased by Rs50 to 500. Long-haul passengers heading to Rawalpindi and Lahore now pay up to Rs3,000 extra. City buses within Peshawar raised minimum fares by Rs10 to 30, and goods transport vehicles have followed suit.
Meanwhile, the fuel shock has also sent flour prices soaring. An 80-kilogram bag of flour has jumped by Rs1,000 rupees, now selling for up to Rs10,000 from 9,000. A 20-kilogram bag costs Rs200 to 250 rupees more. Premium fine-quality flour has reached Rs11,000 per bag. Consumers report that rising flour costs are leading to reduced roti (bread) weights at local shops. Despite claims that red flour prices have remained stable, Afghan-run tandoor shops in Peshawar have been accused of reducing portion sizes and raising prices unjustly.
Traders noted that flour prices began climbing after a recent ban on inter-provincial movement from Punjab. With unemployment already high and Eid expenses looming, residents say the combined shock of expensive fuel, unaffordable flour, and relentless fare hikes has pushed the city’s poorest citizens to the edge of survival.Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express TribuneAhtesham BashirRead More