Shehbaz Sharif condemns proposed surge in POL prices

Incumbent government is blaming nation for its inefficiency, Shehbaz said.

LAHORE (Dunya News) – Opposition Leader in National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday has condemned proposed hike in petroleum products’ prices ahead of holy month of Ramazan. In a statement, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president said that the incumbent government is blaming nation for its inefficiency.

Earlier, a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenged the Economic Coordination Committee’s (ECC) decision to raise the price of petrol by Rs9.35 per liter. It stated that the international crude oil prices remained stagnant; but the government has increased the prices which would severely affect the masses. Yesterday, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the federal cabinet approved an increase of Rs9.35 per liter in the price of petrol after the premier asked it to revise a proposal by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), seeking an increase of Rs14.37 per liter in petrol price from 1st May. The meeting also approved an increase of Rs4.89 per liter in diesel price, Rs6.40 per liter in light diesel price and Rs7.46 per liter in kerosene price. The new prices will be applied after approval by the federal cabinet on Tuesday (May 7). The increase, if approved by the prime minister, would take the per litre price of petrol to Rs108. On April 30, the federal cabinet had deferred the proposed price hike in petroleum products by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and referred the matter to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) for further consideration. It is pertinent to mention here that the government on April 1 increased prices of all petroleum products by up to 6.45 per cent. In that month, petrol and diesel prices were increased by Rs6 per liter while kerosene and light diesel oil (LDO) were jacked up by Rs3 per liter.