- The PTI announces new tariffs compounded by additional levies.
- Rana Sanaullah urges opposition to rise above politics.
- Subsidies, relief announced to the public: Sanaullah.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced plans to convene an All Parties Conference (APC) of “like-minded” parties in response to the massive rise in prices of petroleum products.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan made the announcement at a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, criticizing the PML-N-led government for the sharp increase in fuel prices.
While acknowledging the impact of the war in the Middle East, he said the government had raised fuel prices excessively, even surpassing the increases seen in Nigeria and Vietnam.
The PTI announcement follows the sharp increase in prices of petroleum products on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference alongside Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, oilman Ali Pervaiz Malik announced the hike in petrol and diesel prices, citing rising global energy costs, triggered by the ongoing war in the Middle East.
“The new price of petrol has been fixed at Rs 458.41 per liter, an increase of Rs 137.23 per litre. Diesel will now cost Rs 520.35 per litre, an increase of Rs 184.49 per litre,” he said.
However, the PTI rejected the hike, with party leaders saying the new rates were compounded by additional levies.
Speaking at today’s press conference, PTI chief Taimur Saleem Jhagra said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier announced the cut in fuel prices himself.
“Today the Prime Minister cannot face the public,” he added.
Jhagra alleged that the price hike was amplified by additional levies, including an increase in customs duties.
However, the Prime Minister’s advisor, Rana Sanaullah, defended the recent measures on fuel prices, emphasizing the subsidies and relief announced to the public.
In a televised address, Sanaullah said “a few elements were trying to mislead the public” in the current conditions.
He urged the opposition to go beyond political interests and cooperate with the government to strengthen the country.
Sanaullah explained that austerity measures and targeted relief were being implemented, saying the prime minister chaired a meeting on Thursday to ensure citizens received relief.
Farmers and motorcyclists benefit from support and subsidies aimed at stabilizing the costs of transporting goods, he added.
Sanaullah said the government had made all efforts to keep prices low despite regional tensions causing an increase in fuel prices.
He warned that a prolonged conflict in the Middle East could have serious consequences across the world, including Pakistan.
