World

Soaring LPG prices force rickshaw drivers in Pakistan to cut meals

For 13 years, Rashid Ali has driven a three-wheeled motorised rickshaw around Lahore. His day starts at 6am and sometimes does not end until midnight, but he was long able to make around Rs1,700 ($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 of drivers who run their vehicles on LPG, which is sold in cylinders and mainly used for cooking and heating. Rashid Ali waits for cu