Does Anyone Care About the Common Man?

Petrol and diesel prices have once again gone up. Petrol has reached Rs380 per litre, while diesel has climbed to Rs 409 per litre. But this is not merely a story about rising petroleum prices. Whenever the prices of petroleum products go up, the cost of almost everything else follows. Fuel prices rise and a new wave of inflation sweeps across the country. Transport fares go up, while the prices of fruits, vegetables, milk, pulses, meat, eggs and other essential food items also increase. The entire burden of this rise ultimately falls on the common citizen, on the ordinary person who has to count every rupee before earning it and then count it again before spending it.

The latest increase has pushed the price of petrol beyond the already alarming level mentioned above, further intensifying the pressure on household budgets. For millions of Pakistanis, even a modest increase in fuel prices translates into higher transportation and living costs.

For the privileged elite, this is hardly a crisis. They possess wealth in abundance and may not even be able to comprehend the hardships faced by a poor family. Ask a household where there is only one breadwinner but an entire family depending on that single income. Only the person living through it can truly understand how difficult it is to put food on the table, pay electricity and gas bills, educate children, arrange medical treatment for elderly parents and meet the demands of family occasions, whether of joy or grief.

Whenever petroleum prices rise, the entire blame is generally placed on global circumstances. There is truth in that argument. There is no denying that international oil prices have risen, and citizens in countries such as the United States and Britain have also felt the pain of higher fuel costs. The impact of the global situation has inevitably reached Pakistan as well. It would therefore be unrealistic to ignore the fact that international oil prices have raised. The real question, however, is this: Must the entire burden of higher oil prices be borne by the common man? Is it not the responsibility of the state to share some of the burden of citizens already caught in the vicious cycle of poverty, unemployment and inflation and provide them with meaningful relief?

For the past several weeks, the Jamaat-e-Islami has been protesting against the petroleum levy. When I met Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman the other day, he said the government was collecting more than Rs100 per litre in levy, which he termed unjustifiable. If this figure is correct, it certainly raises serious questions about the burden being placed on ordinary citizens. The government’s position on the levy and its contribution to the final price of petroleum products, however, also needs to be seen in the broader context of international oil prices, taxation and fiscal requirements. The question remains whether the burden can be distributed in a way that provides greater protection to lower-income households.

If the government has to impose a levy, why not place a greater share of that burden on those who can afford it? Why should the common man have to contribute from his hard-earned income to meet government expenditure? Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced relief measures for motorcycles and small cars, which will undoubtedly make some difference to ordinary citizens. But such measures cannot constitute a permanent solution.

It is often said that when the government or the state is going through difficult times, the people should stand by it and be prepared to make sacrifices. That is perfectly understandable. But people are more likely to make such sacrifices willingly when they see the privileged classes sharing the burden as well.

The problem is that almost every day, a new controversy or incident emerges that further erodes public trust in those in authority. At times, there are reports about the lavish lifestyles of politicians, the bureaucracy and the elite; at other times, about the extravagant use of public funds. At a time when the people are already struggling under the weight of high fuel prices, an old figure has once again been circulating: that government vehicles consumed petrol worth Rs68.77 billion over five years. This entire amount was borne by the national exchequer, in other words, by taxpayers. These figures were reportedly provided by the federal finance minister himself.

Under such circumstances, people are understandably left wondering: why must they struggle to afford a few litres of petrol, cut back on essential household expenses to meet the cost, while government officials continue to consume fuel at public expense? Why does it always seem that the ordinary citizen is the one expected to make the sacrifice?

And this is not merely a petrol problem. Consider the example of electricity units. According to information provided to the National Assembly in 2025, power-sector employees, both serving and retired, were receiving 441.5 million free electricity units annually.

It is important to note that the government subsequently abolished the free electricity units facility for power-sector employees in April 2026. The earlier figure nevertheless remains relevant to the broader debate over public-sector privileges and the burden borne by the national exchequer.

Then consider the performance of state-owned enterprises. During fiscal year 2024-25, loss-making state-owned enterprises incurred losses of Rs832 billion. The government also had to provide more than Rs2 trillion in financial support to state-owned enterprises. In plain language, it is a case of getting little in return while paying a very heavy price. The figures underline the continuing fiscal pressure created by loss making public sector entities. At the same time, they raise a legitimate question about how long ordinary taxpayers can be expected to bear the cost of institutional inefficiency and accumulated losses.

When it comes to salaries and perks, substantial increases for senior government officials and members of parliament can sometimes be approved with the stroke of a pen, whereas an ordinary government employee may have to wait an entire year for an increase of only a few thousand rupees. What kind of system is this? Under such circumstances, what option does the ordinary citizen have other than disappointment and frustration? 

The question is: Who will think about the poor in this country? People are increasingly beginning to feel helpless and abandoned. Youth, in particular, are losing hope about their future and many want to leave the country.

Then look at the priorities of our media. Public issues often receive far less attention than political spectacle and controversy. It sometimes feels as though we are watching a never ending circus. When a chief minister travels to another province to stage a protest, the media can devote round the clock coverage to the event. When a chief minister travels by government air plane, television channels can spend hours debating it. A court verdict, the conditions of someone in prison, the illness of a public figure, or the latest debate over the creation of new provinces, such issues often dominate the media agenda.The media, of course, operates within its own commercial and political realities. But where do education, healthcare, unemployment, inflation and the everyday struggles of ordinary citizens fit into this picture? 

Those in positions of authority must make the problems/issues of the people their foremost priority. Pakistan’s achievements on the international stage and its diplomatic successes are undoubtedly important. Strengthening the country’s standing abroad and effectively confronting external challenges are matters of national significance, and such achievements have contributed to Pakistan’s international stature.

But it is now equally important for the country’s leadership to turn its attention to its own home and, above all, to its own people.

Pakistan’s citizens and particularly its youth are sinking deeper into a swamp of frustration and despair. Those in power and those entrusted with authority must do something concrete to pull them out of it. Because ultimately, the most important question is a simple one: Does anyone care about the common man?

 (The author is a Professor of Media and Communication Studies and a broadcast media expert. She currently serves as Chairperson of the Department of Film and Broadcasting at Punjab University)