LAHORE: Police in Lahore arrested several rickshaw union leaders at a protest near the railway station against fuel costs and what drivers called illegal collections, the organisers said, threatening a sit-in unless the detained workers are freed.
Those held included Irfan Gujjar, identified by the organisers as the union’s Lahore president, and Khurram Shahzad, who runs its railway unit. The protest was called by the Milli Rickshaw Union, which is affiliated with the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League, and drew rickshaw drivers, labourers and Bykea riders.
Drivers said nearly 80 percent of their daily earnings went on fuel, repairs, traffic fines and illegal payments, leaving too little to support their families. They did not say who was collecting the money.
The union asked the Lahore deputy commissioner to ensure liquefied petroleum gas is sold at officially notified prices, act against those taking illegal payments and secure the release of the detained men. Most of the city’s auto-rickshaws run on LPG, for which the regulator set a maximum price of Rs279.34 per kg for October, though drivers often say retailers charge more.
The government’s Rs100-a-litre petrol relief for motorcycles and rickshaws announced last month covers petrol, offering little to drivers whose vehicles run on gas.
Union President Rana Shamshad, who led the protest, called it peaceful and demanded the immediate release of those detained. If they are not freed, he said, the union will stage a sit-in outside the deputy commissioner’s office at the railway station. PMML Lahore spokesman Abdul Hannan and Milli Labour Federation Lahore President Aslam Khan also attended.
Police did not issue a statement explaining the arrests or the charges, and refused to comment.
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