
As Eidul Fitr approaches, marking the end of Ramazan, delivery riders on Karachi’s streets say they’re working longer hours, but earning less, with little left for the new clothes and treats that usually mark the festival. A few weeks ago, 23-year-old Mohammad Mohsin could make around Rs1,500 a day. Now, with the US-Israeli war on Iran choking oil supplies, petrol prices have surged above Rs320 per litre and Mohsin’s earnings have shrunk to around Rs1,100. This July 8, 2020 picture shows Foodpanda riders getting ready for deliveries outside a restaurant during Covid-19 pandemic in Kuala Lumpur. —Reuters/File “Before it was all mine,” he said. “Now, a huge sum goes into petrol.” The rising cost of fuel is hitting some of Pakistan’s lowest-paid urban workers hardest, and many riders are making barely enough to cover the essentials, let alone the Eid celebrations. Reuters spoke to more than half a dozen riders in Karachi, all of whom said the fuel price surge had squeezed earnings ahead of Eid, a time when they ...