‘Economic murder’: Opposition blasts government over petrol price hike

ISLAMABAD: Opposition leaders did not welcome the government’s decision to hike the price of petroleum products, as they termed it an “economic murder of the people”, media reported Monday.

Criticising the government’s decision to increase petroleum prices, Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif said the “incompetent and corrupt government” PTI-led government has “plunged the nation in the mire of inflation”, according to the publication.

The PML-N president said whenever petroleum prices increase in the international market, the government quickly reacts to it and hikes prices in Pakistan as well.

However, it never bothers providing any relief to people when the international market witnesses a downward trend, the PML-N president said, lambasting the government for committing “the economic murder of the people”.

Shahbaz said the country was witnessing record inflation for the first time in history, while poverty and unemployment were also persistently increasing due to the policies of the government.

“It is the result of Imran Khan Niazi and his government’s negligence and corruption,” he said.

Separately, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the impact of the price hike would be directly felt by the people. He also termed the increase in the price of petrol by Rs3 per litre an “economic murder of the people”.

Bilawal made the comments during a meeting with key personalities of the party, where he was also briefed about the preparations for the long march to Islamabad — to be started from February 27.

The only solution to get rid of inflation is to overthrow the Imran government, Bilawal said.

He said that Imran Khan had “mortgaged the country” to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and now all decisions regarding Pakistan were being taken abroad.

Petroleum prices

The government had on Saturday announced a Rs3.01 increase in the price of petrol owing to the rising petroleum prices in the international market.

According to a notification by the Finance Division, besides petrol, an increase in other petroleum products was also enforced starting January 16.

Petrol, with the Rs3.01 increase, now costs Rs147.83 per litre, whereas high-speed diesel (HSD), with an increase of Rs3, now costs Rs144.62 per litre.

In addition, kerosene costs Rs3 more and will thus be priced at Rs116.48 per litre, while light diesel oil will become Rs3.33 dearer to cost Rs114.54 per litre.