Further increase in petrol prices is equivalent to waging war of terrorism against poor public of country: Shehbaz
LAHORE
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that price hike in petroleum products is economic terrorism.
Shehbaz Sharif said this on Sunday while referring to the recent increase of Rs3 in petrol and petroleum products which the government had introduced a day earlier (Saturday). The PML-N president said that the further increase in petrol prices is equivalent to waging war of terrorism against the poor public of the country. The public is not being granted relief even after the fall of petrol prices in global market.
Shehbaz Sharif said that the price hike is also done by Imran Niazi in a “benevolent” manner. The inefficient, incompetent and corrupt administration has pushed the public into the morass of inflation.
“The increase of Rs3 in per litre price of petroleum product is utter brutality and akin to economic murder of poor people,” the PML-N president said in a tweet.
He said that the government doesn’t provide relief to the public when international oil prices decrease but it is quick to increase POL prices as soon as the global prices go up. The people of Pakistan are paying for the incompetence and corruption of this government, Shehbaz Sharif added.
Earlier on Saturday, the government had jacked up the price of petrol by Rs 3.01 per litre with immediate effect.
According to a statement issued by the Finance Ministry, the government absorbed the oil price-hike in the international market and decided to make partial increase in the prices of petroleum products in order to provide relief to the end consumers.
The petroleum products were showing fourth straight weekly gain and witnessed an increase of 6.2 percent just in last week in the international market, presently, at the highest level since last year.
The statement said, the existing Sales Tax rate and Petroleum Levy on various petroleum products in Pakistan were much below than the budgeted targets. It said, against the recommendations of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) for increase of Rs 5.52 per liter in the petrol and Rs 6.19 per liter in High Speed Diesel, the prime minister had directed to absorb the international prices through further cut in Sales Tax from last fortnight.
According to a notification issued in this regard, the new price of petrol will be Rs 147.83 per litre.
The prices of high-speed diesel (HSD) was increased by Rs3 per liter and will now cost Rs144.62 per liter.
The price of kerosene oil was also increased by Rs3 per liter to Rs116.48 per liter.
In addition, light diesel oil will cost Rs3.33 more and will thus be priced at Rs114.54 per liter.