The PPP rally over LPG shortage in Lahore on Sunday warned the government of a sit-in outside the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines head office if gas outages continue, as the party protested against the shortage of liquefied petroleum gas and rising flour and fuel prices.
The Pakistan Peoples Party staged the protest rally in Lahore, with party leaders warning that the public could not be left at the mercy of inflation and illegal profiteers. The rally turned a household fuel problem into a street protest, and it put a deadline of sorts on the gas company: fix the supply, or face a sit-in at its head office.
What the PPP demanded at the rally
Addressing the rally, PPP Lahore President Faisal Mir said the public could not be left at the mercy of inflation and illegal profiteers. He accused sellers of creating an artificial LPG shortage to sell fuel at arbitrary prices, calling the practice tantamount to robbing the people.
Blaming the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd for poor planning, Mir said gas outages were adding hardships for citizens. He said the government was placing a further financial burden on the public by raising petrol prices, while inflation had made life difficult for working and salaried classes. He demanded an uninterrupted LPG supply, prices set in line with the public’s purchasing power and relief for domestic consumers.
Mir also criticised the way enforcement has worked. He said small shopkeepers were being targeted instead of big hoarders. He urged the government to take action without discrimination against the LPG mafia, hoarders and illegal profiteers, and to ensure an uninterrupted gas supply at full pressure.
Other party leaders present included Majeed Ghori, Amir Naseer Butt, Afraz Naqvi, Waris Joiya, Anisa Bano and Abbas Shah. Ghori described the artificial shortage and arbitrary pricing as sheer injustice to the working class, adding that the PPP would continue to raise its voice at every forum to protect the rights of the people.
Mir closed with the warning that gives the rally its edge. The party would stage a protest and sit-in in front of the SNGPL head office if load-shedding does not end.
Why the PPP rally over LPG shortage matters now
The rally lands in the middle of a shortage that Feature Pakistan has tracked for weeks. Twin cities households have faced piped gas for only a few hours a day, pushing families toward LPG, wood and coal, as reported in Twin Cities LPG shortage pushes homes to wood, coal. Lahore’s own LPG prices have also climbed, as reported in LPG price in Lahore.
The price gap explains much of the anger. Dawn reported from Gujrat that sellers were charging Rs550 to Rs600 per kilo against the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority notified rate of Rs280 per kilo for up to an 11.8kg cylinder for October. Citizens, including rickshaw drivers, small restaurant owners and domestic consumers, complained that LPG was being sold at more than twice the government-notified rates.
That gap between the notified rate and the market rate is where the PPP’s charge of an “artificial shortage” gains force. If supply were simply short, prices would still rise, but the party argues that hoarding and profiteering have made a hard situation worse. The government and the regulator have not, in the reporting so far, answered that charge in detail.
What happens next
The test of the rally is whether the sit-in threat moves anyone. A protest outside the SNGPL head office would raise the political cost of continued outages, but it would not by itself refill cylinders. The practical questions remain whether supply improves and whether the notified rate is enforced.
Source reporting: Dawn, with price figures from Dawn’s Gujrat reporting.
Who led the PPP rally in Lahore?
PPP Lahore President Faisal Mir addressed the rally, alongside party leaders including Majeed Ghori, Amir Naseer Butt, Afraz Naqvi, Waris Joiya, Anisa Bano and Abbas Shah.
What did the PPP threaten if gas outages continue?
The party warned it would stage a protest and sit-in in front of the SNGPL head office if load-shedding does not end.
How far above the official rate is LPG selling?
Dawn reported sellers in Gujrat charging Rs550 to Rs600 per kilo, against the Ogra notified rate of Rs280 per kilo for up to an 11.8kg cylinder for October.
