ISLAMABAD: Opposition leaders have strongly criticised the federal government for the massive increase in petroleum prices. They warned that the move will push inflation higher and deepen poverty across the country.
The government announced a sharp rise in petrol and diesel prices, citing higher global oil costs linked to escalating tensions in the Middle East.
During a press conference in Islamabad, federal ministers confirmed a Rs55 per litre increase in petrol and diesel prices. Under the new rates, petrol will cost Rs321.17 per litre, while diesel has jumped from Rs275.70 to Rs335.86 per litre.
In a post on X, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman rejected the hike and called the decision unacceptable. He said the government shifted the entire burden onto the public instead of reducing taxes and levies on petroleum products.
He added that when global oil prices fell to a five-year low earlier, the government raised the petroleum levy instead of giving relief to citizens. Now that prices are rising again, authorities have once more passed the cost to the public.
Meanwhile, PTI Senator Aon Abbas Buppi criticised the decision and compared Pakistan’s response with other countries in the region. He said nations such as India, China, and Japan did not immediately raise petrol prices despite tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Leaders slam govt for petrol price surge, call it a burden on the public
He highlighted that the government had itself stated Pakistan holds at least a month’s petroleum stock bought at previous rates. “Why did the government rush to increase prices?” he asked.
Even some government allies criticized the hike. Nadeem Afzal Chan, Central Secretary Information of the Pakistan Peoples Party, said crises—whether war or the COVID-19 pandemic—always force ordinary citizens to bear the burden.
He added that rising petrol prices push up the cost of everything, including food and medicines, and questioned what sacrifices the country’s elite had made during the current situation.
Fawad Chaudhry slams govt over heavy petrol taxes, warns of middle-class impact
Former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry criticized the government’s move, saying it already charges about Rs100 per litre in taxes on petroleum products.
He added that instead of cutting taxes to shield citizens from rising global oil prices, the government hiked petrol prices excessively, a decision that will hit the middle class hard.
Journalist Syed Imran Shafqat called the petrol hike “oppression” and rejected the government’s claim that global conditions justified the increase. He noted that Pakistan has not yet bought petroleum at the new international rates.
Former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Siraj ul Haq urged the government to cut its own luxuries and non-development spending instead of raising petrol prices, so that citizens already struggling with inflation could get some relief.