The business community has strongly criticised PIA's decision to increase Umrah fare despite bringing down the petrol prices at the lowest ebb in the international market. They said that PIA has increased the fare by Rs 8000. Now it was charging Rs 76,000 per passenger from Multan and Lahore.
Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI)'s President Mian Iqbal Hassan demanded that the federal government should take measures to withdraw the increase in the PIA fare for Umrah and instead cut the fare rate. He said the government was also committing excesses against the poor masses by not reducing power tariff despite the continuous availability of petrol at much cheaper rates in the global market.
"The government must give relief to the masses by reducing power tariff-as it is making claims," Mian Iqbal said. He also regretted that the prices of daily use items were also standstill and there was no relief for the masses, adding the government needed to take emergency measures to give relief to them. He also called upon all democratic forces to play their role in meeting the challenges being faced by the nation. He said the PTI had ended its sit-ins in the national interest and now the government should take serious measures to eliminate terrorism.