Petrol at Rs380 and the silence around it

The country has reached a strange point in its economic life.

Petrol has crossed Rs375 a litre and is now being sold at Rs375.82. High-speed diesel has reached Rs403.32 a litre. These are not ordinary numbers for an ordinary household.

They are prices that can change the way people travel, work and even eat.

There is an interesting question here.

When petrol prices moved towards Rs380 a litre during the beginning of the Gulf war crisis, the government responded with emergency measures. Work-from-home arrangements were encouraged. Friday was made a day off in some discussions and measures. Subsidised petrol was considered for motorcycles and other steps were taken to reduce the pressure on ordinary citizens.

Today, petrol is again around that level.

But where are the emergency measures?

Why is there no national conversation about reducing fuel consumption? Why are people simply being asked to pay more and adjust their lives?

This is not only a question about petrol.

It is a question about how the government responds to a crisis.

The latest increase means petrol has gone up by Rs5.02 a litre, while diesel has risen by Rs5.28. The new prices will remain in effect until September 14.

For an ordinary motorcyclist, the increase may appear small. Five rupees here and five rupees there may not sound like much.

But Pakistan is a country where millions of people travel to work on motorcycles. They cannot simply stop using fuel. A daily increase becomes a monthly burden.

Then comes the second problem.

Higher fuel prices do not remain at petrol pumps. They travel through the economy.

A truck carrying vegetables needs diesel. A bus carrying workers needs diesel. A factory needs energy. A shopkeeper pays more for transportation. A farmer pays more to move goods.

Eventually, the consumer pays.

The latest weekly inflation figures show how quickly this pressure can spread. Weekly inflation increased by 8.62 per cent year-on-year.

Onions were an astonishing 125.52 per cent more expensive than a year earlier. LPG increased by 55.42 per cent. Diesel rose by 45.26 per cent, while petrol was 39.10 per cent more expensive.

Flour increased by more than 30 per cent. Electricity charges were up by more than 25 per cent.

These are not just statistics on a government spreadsheet.

They represent decisions made by families at the kitchen table.

Should we buy meat this week? Should the children travel by bus instead of a car? Can we afford to use the motorcycle every day? Can we pay the electricity bill and still buy enough food?

There were, of course, some welcome falls in prices. Potatoes became cheaper by 35.21 per cent, chicken by 24.30 per cent and sugar by 20.88 per cent.

But falling prices of a few items do not cancel the wider pressure.

The government may have limited choices when international oil prices rise. Pakistan imports much of its petroleum, and global crises can quickly affect domestic prices.

But limited choices do not mean no choices.

The government can still think differently.

It can encourage offices to allow work from home where possible. It can improve public transport. It can consider targeted fuel support for low-income workers and motorcycle users. It can reduce unnecessary official travel and lead by example.

Most importantly, it can explain the crisis honestly.

People can accept difficult decisions when they believe that everyone is sharing the burden.

What is difficult to accept is seeing petrol approach Rs380 a litre while life continues as if nothing has happened.

During the earlier crisis, extraordinary prices produced extraordinary thinking.

This time, extraordinary prices seem to be producing ordinary silence.

That is the real question.

Why?