Pakistan aviation officer seeks parking permission to bring donkey cart to airport amid fuel price hike

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

An employee of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Friday wrote a letter to the head of the agency seeking permission to bring a donkey cart to work after the government's recent fuel price hike rendered him unable to use personal transport.

In a letter addressed to the CAA Director-General of CAA, Raja Asif Iqbal, who says he has been in service for 25 years and is now working at the Islamabad International Airport, said inflation had not just "broken the backs of the poor, but also the middle class."

He requested permission to be allowed to bring a donkey cart into the CAA parking lot. "In this inflation, the organisation has halted the transport facility," he said.

"Due to the rising petrol prices, it has become impossible to use personal transport. "Please allow me to bring my donkey cart to the airport," the man further pleaded.

Motorists wait to fill their vehicles' tanks at a petrol station in Islamabad, following an increase of fuel prices by the government. AFP

CAA spokesperson Saifullah Khan said that every member of the staff is paid a fuel allowance. He also contradicted the employee on the pick-and-drop service. "They are provided a pick-and-drop service," he said. "A metro bus service is also available for the employees at the airport."

Khan added that the application was "nothing more than a media stunt." After just a week since the last hike, petrol prices have climbed to Rs209.86 per litre for petrol and Rs204.15 per litre for diesel. The government increased the prices of petroleum products by Rs30 per litre, which went into effect this morning.