Islamabad:
Citing the name India, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan again slammed the Shehbaz Sharif government after the federal government increased petrol and diesel prices by 30 horsepower per litre.
While criticizing the government, the Imran said this “insensitive government” has not pursued the deal signed by Pakistani party Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with Russia for 30 percent cheaper oil.
He further praised India, saying that the US strategic ally has managed to cut fuel prices by 25 horsepower per liter by buying cheaper oil from Russia.
“Nation begins to pay the price for the imported government’s servitude to foreign masters with a 20% increase/Rs30 per liter in petrol and diesel prices – the highest price increase in our history. The incompetent and insensitive government has cut our deal with Russia not pursued for 30% cheaper oil,” Imran Khan said in a tweet.
“In contrast, India, a strategic ally of the US, has managed to cut fuel prices by 25 horsepower per liter by buying cheaper oil from Russia. Now our country is going to incur another huge dose of inflation at the hands of this cabal of crooks” , he said in another tweet.
Pakistan on Thursday raised the prices of petroleum products by PKR 30 per liter, declaring that the decision had been made to ensure the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
The price of gasoline will be PKR 179.86, diesel PKR 174.15, kerosene oil PKR 155.56 and light diesel PKR 148.31, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Miftah Ismail made the announcement at a press conference in Islamabad where he said the government had no choice but to raise prices, adding that “we still have a loss of PKR 56 per liter on diesel” , even under the new pricing.
He admitted that Shehbaz Sharif’s government was aware of the political implications of the decision and added: “We will be criticized, but the state and its interests are important to us and it is imperative that we save him.”
Furthermore, Ismail said Pakistan could have gone in the “wrong direction” had the steps not been taken. The decision was difficult for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he added.
This price increase came after talks between the Pakistani government and the IMF in Doha.
These talks were aimed at agreeing a policy at the end of the IMF’s seventh review of its $6 billion program for Pakistan, which has stalled since early April.
According to media reports, the IMF has made the resumption of the program conditional on the reversal of fuel and energy subsidies introduced by the previous PTI government, which were deemed unsustainable.
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