Party leader Hafiz Talha Saeed asks how poor families will survive winter, while an affiliated rickshaw union protests in Lahore and threatens nationwide action over LPG prices
LAHORE: Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) Vice-President Hafiz Talha Saeed accused the government of leaving low-income households to face winter with gas load-shedding and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) selling far above official prices, as a rickshaw union linked to the party protested in Lahore.
“How much more inflation will the government impose on the people? Will it provide any relief to poor families or continue to burden them with rising prices?” Saeed said, blaming government mismanagement for making life increasingly difficult for ordinary citizens.
His criticism comes as retail LPG is reported to be selling at Rs500 to Rs600 per kilogram in markets across the country, roughly 80% to 115% above the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority’s (OGRA) notified October price of Rs279.34.
Notified price, market price
OGRA raised the official LPG price for October by about Rs21 per kilogram, putting an 11.8 kg domestic cylinder at Rs3,296.23, up about 8% from September, in line with a 9.9% rise in the Saudi Aramco contract price. At the market rates now being reported, the same cylinder would cost between about Rs5,900 and Rs7,080.
LPG distributors blame disrupted trade routes with Iran and rising winter demand in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, and say weak enforcement of the notified price is the main problem. Saeed said consumers were struggling to buy LPG at official rates and voiced concern over reports of further increases.
For many Lahore households, LPG is the fallback when piped gas fails. Residents in several neighbourhoods have complained of no gas and unaffordable cylinders since the summer, and Zubair Colony residents took to the streets after two months without gas. Last winter, SNGPL limited domestic supply in Punjab to three daily windows around mealtimes.
A broader cost-of-living squeeze
Saeed listed expensive electricity, power outages, rising petrol prices and gas shortages as burdens on working-class families, and said the party would keep campaigning for public rights and measures to protect people’s economic interests.
Electricity consumers face an extra Rs1.11 per unit in October bills under a fuel adjustment that the PMML has called an attack on the poor, and Lahore has endured nightly power outages this month after LNG cargo delays idled some gas-fired plants. The Gulf crisis has put winter LNG supplies at risk, while the gas sector’s circular debt has reached Rs3.6 trillion. A petition against power and gas load-shedding is pending before the Lahore High Court.
Rickshaw drivers on the street
Separately, the PMML-affiliated Milli Rickshaw Union staged a protest in Lahore against rising petroleum and LPG prices, led by Aamir Butt. Protesters chanted slogans against the increases and demanded urgent steps to control inflation.
Speakers said rising fuel costs were squeezing rickshaw drivers’ incomes and warned that drivers across the country would protest if LPG prices were not reduced.
Most of Lahore’s auto-rickshaws run on LPG, which means the federal government’s Rs100-per-litre petrol relief for motorcycles, rickshaws and small cars does not help many of them. The same union held a protest last week at which police detained several of its leaders; it demanded LPG be sold at the notified price and action against illegal collections.
Background
The PMML has made inflation and utility prices a central theme of its campaigning in Punjab, holding protests over petrol, electricity and gas costs through the autumn. The party contested the 2024 general election without winning a seat. Its predecessor, the Milli Muslim League, was designated by the United States in 2018 as an alias of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba; the PMML presents itself as a mainstream party focused on welfare and public issues.
What comes next
OGRA will announce LPG prices for November at the end of the month. With winter demand rising and distributors warning of further increases, the gap between notified and market prices, and how strictly authorities enforce the official rate, is likely to remain a flashpoint in Lahore’s working-class neighbourhoods.
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