The PML-N government is once again drawing intense criticism for allegedly refusing to provide relief to the public, especially during a time when almost half of the country reels through floods.
The government has hiked the price of petrol by Rs2.07 per liter, high-speed diesel by Rs2.99 per liter, kerosene oil by Rs10.92 per liter, and light diesel oil by Rs9.79 per liter.
After the fresh increase in prices, petrol has gone up from Rs233.91 to Rs235.98 per liter; high-speed diesel from Rs244.44 to Rs247.43 per liter; kerosene oil from Rs199.40 to Rs210.32 per liter and light diesel oil from Rs191.75 to Rs201.54 per liter.
Read more: Is the hike in petroleum products’ prices justified?
Interestingly, the government increased the prices of petroleum products despite the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority’s (OGRA) proposal for a reduction and a drop in the prices of crude oil in the international market.
In the last three days, the Brent price went down from $103.28/barrel on Aug 30 to around $95/barrel till midnight of Aug 31. Lately, the Pakistani rupee is also stable against the US dollar, therefore the public was expecting some relief. However, their expectations were dashed, resulting in criticism of the incumbent government led by PML-N.
On the other hand, the finance ministry that the petroleum levy had been kept minimum in order to provide relief to the consumers.
PTI slams government for petrol price hike
Following the increase in petrol prices, the PML-N government’s political rival PTI has been criticizing it for burdening the public, especially when Pakistan is going through the flood crisis.
“The prices of oil are continuously decreasing in the world market. The prices are continuously increasing in Pakistan. The current government refuses to buy cheap oil from Russia. Relief for the people from these rulers is only in the form of photoshoots,” former Energy Minister Hammad Azhar tweeted.
عالمی منڈی میں مسلسل تیل کی قیمتیں کم ہو رہیں ہیں۔ پاکستان میں مسلسل بڑھ رہیں ہیں۔ روس سے سستا تیل خریدنے سے موجودہ حکومت انکاری ہے۔
عوام کے لئے ان حکمرانوں کی طرف سے ریلیف صرف فوٹوشوٹ کی صورت میں ہی ہے۔— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) August 31, 2022
“The painful story is that the government increased the petroleum levy to 37.5 rupees per liter while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had allowed it to be kept up to 30 rupees. On the other hand, the government reduced the diesel levy and violated the IMF agreement,” Muzzammil Aslam, PTI Spokesperson on Finance and Economy said.
دردناک کہانی حکومت نے پٹرولیم لیوی بڑھا کر 37.5 روپے فی لیٹر کردیا جب کہ IMF نے اجازت دی تھی کے 30 روپے تک رکھ سکتے ہیں۰ اس طرح حکومت نے جو عالمی مارکیٹ میں 15 روپے فی لیٹر کمی آئ تھی سب کا سب اپنی طرف کر لیا۰ دوسری طرف حکومت نے ڈیزل کی لیوی میں کمی کی اور IMF معاہدہ خلاف ورزی کی pic.twitter.com/KZxx41d3FP
— Muzzammil Aslam (@MuzzammilAslam3) September 1, 2022
Meanwhile, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said no one should be surprised since the government was not elected by the people, therefore, it is not answerable to them.
Read more: Maryam Nawaz says she ‘stands with people’ on petrol price hike
“When the oil prices are crashing in the world market, in Pakistan, petrol 2 rupees 7 paisa, diesel 2 rupees 99 paisa and kerosene 10 rupees 92 paisa per liter have been made more expensive. The reason is simple; this government was not elected by the people and it is not accountable to the people, so no one should be surprised,” Fawad Chaudhry tweeted.
آج جب عالمی مارکیٹ میں تیل کی قیمتیں کریش کر رہی ہیں پاکستان میں ،پیٹرول 2 روپے 7 پیسے ،ڈیزل 2 روپے 99 پیسے اور مٹی کا تیل 10 روپے 92 پیسے فی لیٹر مزید مہنگا کر دیا گیا، اس کی وجہ سادہ ہے یہ حکومت نہ عوام نے منتخب کی نہ یہ عوام کو جوابدہ ہے لہذاٰ کسی کو حیرت نہیں ہونی چاہئے
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) August 31, 2022