Employee seeks permission to bring 'donkey cart' to airport amid POL price hike

Asif Iqbal says it is not possible for him to use his regular transport to work owing to very expensive fuel

Amid a drastic increase in the prices of petroleum products by the federal government, an employee of the Islamabad Airport asked the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to let him come to his office via a donkey cart, Express News reported.

Asif Iqbal, in his letter to DG CAA, stated that it is not possible for him to bring his own transport to the airport due to the rising petroleum prices, requesting to allow him to bring a donkey cart to his workplace.

He said that the authority had stopped the transport facility despite the rising inflation in the country, adding that both fuel allowance and pick and drop service had been shut down.

Read more: Sindh, K-P govts slash fuel spending after spike in POL prices

However, a CAA spokesperson termed the employee's letter "nothing but a media stunt", suggesting using the Islamabad-Rawalpindi Metro instead.

He further said that the letter was written only to draw the media's attention.

Prices of petroleum products have been increased by a staggering total of Rs60 in less than a month. On Thursday, the government increased the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs30 per litre.

Finance Minister Miftah Ismail termed the decision necessary to pave way for the revival of the IMF programme. As per the new fuel prices, petrol is available at Rs209.86 per litre, high-speed diesel (HSD) at Rs204.15, kerosene oil at Rs181.94 and light diesel oil at Rs178.31. Only the price of kerosene oil was increased by less than Rs30.

Read more: Imran ‘set a trap’ for us by lowering POL prices: Shehbaz

As expected the government's decision was met with severe backlash on local and social media.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that his predecessor Imran Khan had “set a trap” for his government by decreasing the prices of petroleum products after assessing that the no-confidence vote against him was going to succeed.

"Last night, the government increased the prices of petroleum products with a heavy heart," PM Shehbaz said while addressing a ceremony regarding the inauguration of Gwadar East Bay Expressway.

Lashing out at the former government, the premier said that it only provided relief to the people after realising that the vote of no-confidence was going to succeed. "They never provided subsidies on wheat and sugar, prices of which affect poor people the most," he added.

The prime minister further said that his government tried to manage the petrol price initially but admitted that the government was in no position to continue the subsidies on petroleum products.