Govt increases petrol prices on Eid eve

The PTI-led federal government on Friday increased the petroleum prices on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha.

According to notification issued by the finance ministry, the petrol price has increased by Rs3.86 to Rs103.97 per litre. With the increase of Rs5 per litre, the new price of high speed diesel has reached Rs106.46 per litre.

The price of kerosene oil has increased by Rs5.97 to Rs65.29 per litre. With the increase of Rs6.62 per litre, the new price of light diesel reached Rs62.86 per litre.

As per details, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) sent a summary to the government recommending an increase in the petroleum products, which the governed approved and issued a notification.

According to the sources, the government has however been advised to increase the prices after Eid to avoid a strong reaction from the masses.

Sources said the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has proposed the government to keep the prices of petroleum products unchanged, but the Finance Ministry and oil marketing companies want an increase in the prices.

However, sources said, the government was under pressure to increase the prices of petroleum products due to the poor economic situation in the country.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has already proposed that prices of petroleum products should be reviewed every 15 days. In July, the prices of petroleum products went up in the international market.

Opposition reaction

Rejecting the hike in POL prices, PML-N President and Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif said that the incompetent government was compelling people to commit suicide by taking such decisions. He said that government dropped another petrol bomb on the people on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha. The government has no awareness of the plight of the people, he added. The PML-N leader said that sugar price has also reached Rs100 per kg, which shows that mafias are dictating the PTI-led government.

PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira slammed the federal governed over the increase in petrol prices on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha. He said that the government did not feel shame to give tough time to people. After the increase in POL prices, the inflation will also rise, he added. He said government dropped petrol bomb on the people already battling against the coronavirus.