Several Pakistanis have disapproved of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI’s) narrative of inflation after Federal Energy Minister Hammad Azhar said that petrol prices in Pakistan were still the lowest amongst the region, despite the price rising by Rs4 per litre on Friday.
In a tweet, Azhar said that it was a difficult decision to raise petroleum prices, but the rising global prices hampered development in Pakistan. Azhar added that the government was working to reduce tax rates on petroleum products in Pakistan even though the prices were still low as compared to other countries.
پٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمت میں اضافہ ایک مشکل فیصلہ ہے لیکن اس کی وجہ عالمی منڈی کی بڑھتی ہوئی قیمتیں ہیں۔ پاکستان میں اضافہ عالمی منڈی کے مقابلے میں کم کیا گیا ہے۔ حکومت پٹرولیم مصنوعات پہ ٹیکس کی شرح کو بتدریج کم کر رہی ہے۔ آج بھی اکثر ممالک سے پاکستان میں تیل کی قیمت کم ہے۔
— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) September 30, 2021
In response to the price rise, parliamentarian and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz member Khawaja Saad Rafique unpacked the current government’s petroleum related policies. He listed the increase in various fuel products and said that inflation would bring in a new wave of poverty and crime.
IMF بجٹ کی کرامات:
پٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں ھوشربا اضافہ –
مٹی کا تیل 7 روپے
لائٹ ڈیزل 8۰82 روپے
پٹرول 4 روپے
ھائ سپیڈ ڈیزل 2 روپے
بڑھ گئے
مہنگاٸ کی ایک اور سونامی
بھوک غربت بیروزگاری اور جرائم میں اضافہ ھو گا
— Khawaja Saad Rafique (@KhSaad_Rafique) September 30, 2021
Journalist Salman Ghani said that the government did not consider itself answerable to the people who were under grave pressure due to inflation. Ghani added International Monetary Fund (IMF) had called the shots when it came to petroleum prices, not the government, which really made one wonder whether the government was democratic to begin with.
جب ملک میں بجلی پٹرولیم اور گیس کی قیمتوں کے فیصلے حکومت کی بجائیے ائ ایم ایف کرے اورعوام اسکے رحم و کرم پر ھوں ڈالر کی پرواز رکے نہ رکے مھنگائ بے روزگاری کا رحجان طوفان کا روپ دھار لے اور حالات کی سنگینی پر کوئ خود کس جوابدہ نہ سمجھھ تو ایسی حکومت کو جمہوری کہا جا سکتا ھے؟؟؟
— Salman Ghani (@salmaan_ghani) September 29, 2021
Educationist Ammar Ali Jan said that it would be better if Pakistan compared itself to other economies in terms of ‘health, education, rights, employment, wages’ etc. instead of petrol prices.
How about comparing ourselves with other countries in health, education, rights, employment, wages, industrialisation rather than in petrol prices? #PetrolPriceHike
— Ammar Ali Jan (@ammaralijan) October 1, 2021
Jan furthered that Khan took notice of women harassment and shifted the conversation towards immodesty of women instead, just like he noticed the plight of students and charged them for rebelliousness. Jan added Khan took notice of the price hike and only raised them further so it would be in the people’s best interest that the PM stopped noting issues to begin with.
-Imran Khan took notice of #PetrolPrice & gave us Rs. 4 hike.
-Took notice of attacks on women & derailed conversation towards fahashi.
-Took notice of students rights & placed sedition charges on students.
Can we do a petition asking IK not to take notice of anything now?
— Ammar Ali Jan (@ammaralijan) October 1, 2021
Another user was agitated by the incremental rise every few days. He said that the people demanded the government set a high price once and for all so citizens could adjust their budgets accordingly. He added that PTI government would blame Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) or Peoples Party Pakistan (PPP) leaders for the price increase.
پٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں ایک بار پھر اضافہ!
ہم حکومت سے مطالبہ کرتے ہیں کہ وہ جس جس چیز کی قیمت میں اضافہ کرنا چاہتی ہے وہ ایک ہی بار کرلے تاکہ ہم ایک ہی بار اپنے بجٹ کو سیٹ کرلیں۔
ہم یہ بھی یقین دلاتے ہیں کہ ہم ان اضافوں کو نواز شریف اور آصف زرداری کی کارستانیاں کہیں گے🤔— Mehmood Jan Babar (@MehmoodJan1) September 30, 2021
Similar rancor against rising petrol prices ensued last month when petrol prices rose by Rs5 per litre. After the hike, Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the same thing as the energy minister, that the prices were still lowest in the region. Chaudhry said that oil wells weren’t discovered in the last three years of PTI’s government, so it was obvious that petrol prices would rise as the commodity was imported.
In a press conference on Friday, Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin also said that petroleum products in Pakistan cost much less than other countries, but the government was still working to reduce taxation on petroleum products.
