PESHAWAR – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has announced a subsidy for all motorcyclists in the province to offset the impact of rising petroleum prices.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Special Assistant for Information Shafi Jan and Finance Adviser Muzammil Aslam, the chief minister criticized the recent fuel price hike, saying the “fake government has dropped a petrol bomb on the public.”
He said the provincial government rejects the increase and urged the federal government to take provinces into confidence and reduce its own expenditures instead of burdening citizens.
Afridi said the KP government has decided to provide financial relief to motorcyclists to reduce travel expenses. He noted that around 1.4 to 1.6 million motorcycles are currently registered in the province, and each registered motorcycle user will receive Rs2,200 as subsidy.
He added that the provincial government stands with its people and will not increase fares for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, saying the government will bear the additional cost.
The chief minister also said the provincial government has banned the purchase of new vehicles and restricted international trips to cut expenses. He claimed that despite their helicopter crash, the KP government is not purchasing a new helicopter, while the federal government continues to spend lavishly and impose heavy fuel price hikes on the public.
