'Fuel of the poor' LPG soars in Pakistan, forcing rickshaw drivers to cut meals
LAHORE, Nov 3 (Reuters) - For 13 years, Rashid Ali has driven a three-wheeled motorised rickshaw around Lahore in eastern Pakistan. His day starts at 6 a.m. and sometimes does not end until midnight, but he was long able to make $6.50 a day — enough for his family's bare essentials. Now, with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices surging he doesn't even make half that. Ali, 33, is among thousands…
In Lahore, Pakistan, rickshaw driver Rashid Ali has faced a sharp decline in his income due to a surge in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices. For 13 years, Ali earned around $6.50 a day, which was enough to provide for his family's basic needs. However, with LPG prices skyrocketing since the closure of Iranian border crossings on October 17, Ali now makes only about $3 a day.
About 70% of the 43,000 auto-rickshaws and 8,000 Qingqis in Pakistan run on LPG, making it the "fuel of the poor," according to Majeed Ghauri, chairman of the Awami Rickshaw Union.
The closure of Iranian border crossings has halted LPG imports, causing the price of a 12-kg cylinder to jump 56% to around 7,000 Pakistani rupees. The government of Balochistan, the southern province bordering Iran, cited security and smuggling concerns, while Iran's foreign ministry blamed technical issues. The price of gas affects Ali's daily expenses, including the 600 rupees he pays to rent his rickshaw and the 11,000 rupees he spends monthly on his home.
With two young children to support, Ali now struggles to provide meals for them, having reduced their meals to twice a day. Inflation in Pakistan reached 9.6% in October, and the central bank recently raised interest rates to 12% due to energy and wheat price hikes. Petrol prices have hit a record of 458 rupees a liter, remaining about 40% above their pre-war price.
Ali continues to work late into the night, hoping to earn enough to provide for his children's nighttime meals.
Written by urgent.news from Business Recorder's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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