Lawmakers lambaste govt over petrol price hike in NA session

The country's lawmakers heavily criticised the government on Saturday over a recent hike in petrol prices, among other national issues, during a session of the National Assembly.

A day earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan had approved a recommendation to hike up the prices of petroleum products, after which petrol prices rose by Rs25.58 per litre.

In today’s session of the Lower House of the parliament, PML-N MNA Khurram Dastgir said that in the history of the country, petrol prices were never increased by 34%.

“The government is becoming a facilitator of mafias,” he criticized, saying that he can sense that the government benches are in a state of ‘fear’.

Describing other national issues, the PML-N lawmaker said that the culprits of the Sahiwal incident, where members of a family were killed in cold blood, did not receive any punishment.

Speaking on the issue of the sugar crisis, he said that the Federal Investigation Agency said that the prices of sugar rose after permission for exports was granted.

FIA should investigate ‘mafia’ behind petrol crisis

PPP lawmaker Abdul Qadir Patel addressed the House, saying that the FIA should probe who hoarded up petrol reserves, which exacerbated the national fuel crisis.

“The FIA should investigate who is behind this mafia and who is getting a cut out of it,” he said.

Will mirror trends in global oil market: Omar Ayub

Federal Minister for Energy Omar Ayub addressed the NA, saying that the government will mirror the trend in the global oil market.

He said that the previous governments were the ones who ‘protected’ a mafia, adding that the current government only tried to benefit the public.

“Today Imran Khan says to hold an investigation and take these people to task,” said the minister before the House.

He said that the petroleum prices’ hike in Pakistan is the lowest in South Asia.

PM Imran approves massive hike in petroleum prices

The prime minister recently approved a massive hike in the prices of petroleum products"in view of the rising oil prices trend in the global market", according to an official notification.

The notification stated that the new petrol prices would come into effect immediately.

Petrol prices, according to the recommendation, were to be bumped up Rs25.58 per litre. Similarly, the per-litre prices of high-speed diesel (HSD), kerosene oil, and light diesel were recommended to be increased Rs21.31, Rs23.50, and Rs17.84, respectively.

The new per-litre prices of petrol, HSD, kerosene oil, and light diesel, therefore, would respectively be Rs100.10, Rs101.46, Rs59.06, and Rs55.98.

Despite the coronvirus pandemic and lockdown imposed in several areas to curb the spread of the disease, people rushed to petrol stations late at night to get their supply before the new rates came into effect.