ISLAMABAD: As petrol prices broke all records and consumers’ spending power was further eroded, the government’s allies – the PML-Q and the MQM-P – joined the chorus of opposition leaders on Wednesday, blasting the administration for unleashing a torrent of inflation on the people.
The government allowed a price hike of up to Rs12.03 per litre in petroleum products a day earlier, bringing the price of petrol to a record high of Rs159.86 per litre, effective February 16.
Petrol prices have surpassed all historical highs, reaching Rs160 per litre, further intensifying the burden on consumers.
Lawmakers from the PML-Q, the government’s main supporter, expressed worry about rising gasoline costs and urged that the price hike be reversed.
The PML-Q leaders urged that the recent increase in gasoline prices be reversed immediately, warning that if the ordinary man does not receive relief, the situation will spiral out of hand.
Meanwhile, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-spokesperson Pakistan’s expressed grave concern over the sharp increase in petroleum product prices, saying that the government was burdening people who were already suffering from the government’s policy of jacking up prices every two weeks and indirect taxes on the lower strata of society.
Shehbaz Sharif, the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), called the hike “insensitive, heartless, and cruel” in a tweet. He asked the people to teach Imran Khan a “appropriate lesson at election time.”
The hike was also opposed by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). “After inflation, unemployment, poverty, the dollar, and corruption in Imran Khan’s government, petroleum prices have also reached a record high,” he remarked.
Shahbaz Gill, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Political Communication, said the government was unhappy with the price hike because the prime minister “thinks about the poor.” He argued that because the price of gasoline had “grown from $40 to $95”, the government had no choice but to hike it.
