Sindh

Petrol jumps to Rs80.19 per litre

OGRA announces Rs7.23 increase in petrol price.

Express February 28, 2011

KARACHI: The government on Monday increased the petroleum products prices up to 9.9 per cent for the first time in three months.

According to a notification issued by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), petrol prices have been increased by Rs7.23 per litre or 9.9 per cent with effect from March 1, taking the new rate to Rs80.19 per litre. The government increased diesel prices by 9.83 per cent or Rs7.70 per litre. The new per litre diesel price would be Rs 86.03.

Earlier, the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association suspended the supply of petroleum products and announced a strike in Karachi due to a proposed increase in petroleum prices. The association warned that the strike may soon spill over into other parts of the country if its demands are not met.

Resultantly, a large number of people came out on the streets on Rashid Minhas road, in Nazimabad and Shahrah-e-Faisal road in Karachi following the announcement of a strike by petroleum dealers. The protesters clashed with the police and rangers personnel who tried to take control of the situation.

The demonstrators blamed the pump owners for halting supplies fearing a possible increase in the petrol prices today.

Long queues of vehicles were seen in the city outside the few stations still running.

The Pakistan petroleum dealers’ association later decided to call off their token strike.

OGRA authorities said an increase in the prices is necessary according to levy collected two months ago, whereas six to seven per cent increase should be made in accordance to the levy collected in current situation.

Sources informed that the government is providing a subsidy of Rs15 billion on petroleum products and it will have to give an additional subsidy of Rs10 billion if current prices are not increased.

CNG prices revised

Ogra has revised its CNG prices keeping in view the Gross Calorific Value (GCV). The new prices will become effective from March 1.

Four different prices will be followed in the country's four provinces. CNG prices will rise in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and in areas from Attock to Jhelum. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, CNG will be available at Rs57 per kilogramme.

In inner Sindh and Balochistan, CNG will be availabe at Rs55.2 per kg. In Punjab and adjoining areas, CNG will now be available at Rs53.45 per kg.

According to All Pakistan CNG Association, OGRA's revised prices will raise gas prices in 2,600 CNG stations and reduce them in 500 gas stations across the country.

COMMENTS (43)

Maria | 13 years ago | Reply Hey world gold prices are rising because of Middle East instability- I suppose the price of gold is going up in Pakistan too. That that mean we should demonstrate against this too and force the government to subsidize cheap gold? Get a grip people, what goes on in world oil prices obviously affects Pakistan!

Pakistani | 13 years ago | Reply A complete strike throughout the country has been declared after Friday prayers. People all over the country are urged to come out and support this. No movement of any traffic will be allowed. All offices and factories will remain close till the petrol prices are brought down. Inqalaab.

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karachicow | 13 years ago | Reply Karachi will burn again with this pricerise. Its not just the fuel price which will increase but price of basic commodities and also transportation and electricity. We will bring this city to a halt till government reverses its decision. Inqalaab Zindabad. We want rich punjabi landlords to subsidize the poor.

Ronit | 13 years ago | Reply You in Pakistan have cheap fuel, we in India have it around Rs 120/litre(after exchange rate)

A R Khan Yusufzai | 13 years ago | Reply "Everyone" is playing politics in this country & sincere with his/her own interests. Nawaz Sharif had knowledge of it before hand and decided to quit to gain masses sentiments and get 2/3 majority votes in the next election because of the his political graph going down. Similarly you all would listen Altaf Hussain quitting the government (his old political stunt) and gaining masses support of being a so called LEADER of Lower Middle Class party. Mr. Asfandyar Wali Khan would issue a sermon from Dubai calling it a "Zulam" (In Justice). Mr. Fazl u Rehman would call for a protest after Juma prayers and return in his official Jeep to his "official residence". After a few days of hue & cry everyone would sit quite and work on the same salary. Masses would also follow the suit and after cursing the government would settle down and vote again for Zinda Hai BB Zinda Hai (Benazir is still alive). Welcome to Islamic Republic of Pakistan !

Farooq | 13 years ago | Reply hmmm....petroleum prices are hikes....where is Inqilaab??? aaj kis kis inqilaabi ne petrol nahi lia??

Yousuf | 13 years ago | Reply Seriously, why do they burn tyres? More importantly, where do they get the tryres from in the first place? Does someone donate em for the protest? Are they stolen or extorted out of shopowners? Or are these people aware of the location of a hidden tyre 'elephant graveyard' which the rest of the masses aren't aware of? Because honestly, I've never seen unowned tyres lying around anywhere...

Abdul Ali | 13 years ago | Reply A 9.9% increase in price is a back breaker for the poor and 98% of the population. Governemnt should be prepared for a massive reaction. I hope MQM and PML (N) will take a pro people stand. What is wrong with the peopel in power....do they not understand and they are destroying the sleep of the poor.Living is becoming un-affordable May be an Egypt like situation will/should happen

Maulana Diesel | 13 years ago | Reply Petrol in Pakistan is still half the price per litre in Europe. Rather than blaming the government or some conspiracy it would be better to see where oil is trading in the markets.

faraz | 13 years ago | Reply Even the great Lenin had to import wheat from US after the revolution, how will our revolutionary clowns reduce oil prices?

saher | 13 years ago | Reply it is high time subsidies are removed, so that energy sources are used efficiently.. the whole world is going through an energy crisis and there is a traffic jam every morning in pak's urban cities due to hundreds of cars with a single passenger!!... we need to work on mass transportation schemes and other efficient usage of the finite fuel and seriously direct our energies towards developing strategies for conversion to alternative energy sources, instead of alternative leaders :P... leaders will change if the way public prioritizes things changes..

MA | 13 years ago | Reply and Kindly pay some tax as well whilst you are there which for the record every individual in the UK does, 23% to say the least and 50% at max of penny earned!

MA | 13 years ago | Reply Lets stop complaining and get on with it. Price of fuel is going up every where in the world, Rs 80 is quite cheap to be honest, we here in the UK are paying £1.35 for every litre,

Khan | 13 years ago | Reply Pakistan as a nation and Pakistanis as its people are corrupt at all levels.. everyone just thinks about themselves and their immediate family.. they will take the first opportunity to take unfair advantage from someone.. they will take the first opportunity to get extra money out from someone.. Are you willing to fix or get rid of these millions of people for "INQALAAB" ??

Imran | 13 years ago | Reply Pakistani kaum has enough money.They can pay rent of 50000+ rs in big cities but they are not ready to pay 1 rs tax to government. The amount of money which lies with pubic is immense .Please learn to pay tax.People like Rahat fateh ali khan were supported by media houses but none chose to question him about amount of money he earns(15Crore PKR every year).He doesn't even possess a Tax account in pakistan(why not take all his money as income tax which he earnt from india in last 5years) Shame on the nation who cant formulate a basic tax policy.No reason,government will continue to hike the price.

Imran | 13 years ago | Reply Funny...dont u guyz know that world oil prices r going up and the government is already subsidising petrol? Even with this increase its subsidised. Ideally it should have been increased by Rs 20 per litre. We should demand that it be increased to Rs 20 per litre. Thats fair. Why should the govt subsidise?? If u cant offord petrol , drive a bicycle or walk. It will improve your health too.

Muhammad Aftab | 13 years ago | Reply yea to hona he tha because internatinal market main kai ho raha hai

Ameer Hamza | 13 years ago | Reply Yes, that's the point: Why sell CNG cheaper in Punjab when all the gas is explored from SUI area or parts of Sindh province including Sehwan Sharif, where there is a huge field maintained by ENI? This imbalance creates frustration and hatred for the most populous province of this country. In any case, I think gas should be extremely subsidized in areas where it is explored. Just like Saudi govt. subsidizes it in its own country. Down with present government. They have failed to do anything good.

TightDhoti | 13 years ago | Reply Everyone here who want a revolution, should stop and consider that oil prices are not going to change in people in Pakistan will revolt. Actually, sorry it would become more expensive. The argument shouldn't be why oil prices are going up, the government should be asked to explain what efforts it has made to increase energy efficiency, push automobile manufacturers to make more efficient engines, make planning laws that improve energy conservation, push for better insulation in houses and reduce waste. Oil prices are going up, and they are likely to go up even further. As an oil importing country, there is nothign we can do about it, accept use the oil as efficiently as possible.

Shahbanoo Amer | 13 years ago | Reply Almost half of the price of the fuel sold in Pakistan is the tax government earns on the fuel. The other half is the real price which consists of the cost of buying, importing, refining, distributing and service charges. I think it is time for the government to reduce taxes on the fuels and instead starts taxing the rich people who are making billions a year. It is not fair that the fuel for transport of tomatoes and daals as well as the public buses becomes expensive while the rich people who dine in expensive restaurants and drive expensive cars, living in their mini-castles are exempt from paying any taxes. The era of general taxes on Pakistani population where everything is taxed from a cola bottle to baby shampoo should come to an end. Pakistan should switch over to targeted taxing of its rich people with richer people paying higher percentage tax. Combine this with acute reduction in expenses by the government and army, it should give enough relief to commoners which constitute 95% of the Pakistani population of almost 190 million people. We are talking here about almost 180 million people who are suffering daily because they are living in some form of poverty whether caloric, social, medical, educational or financial. If this is not addressed, day is not far that Pakistan is going to become the next Libya in the coming years. But Libya is lucky since they have huge oil reserves while Pakistan is a very poor country with a much much larger and poorer population. Pick your choice. Either put more pressure on common people to finance the excesses of the top 5% of society or start believing in an egalitarian Pakistan.

Umayr Masud | 13 years ago | Reply The price of Brent Crude Oil has jumped form 96 USD to 112 USD in the past 1 month. In the past year it has been hovering around 70 to 85 USD and right now is at the highest point 112 USD. The price is expected to increase with the oil producing arab countries in chaos. The prices can be checked here (http://oil-price.net/dashboard.php?lang=en#brentcrudeprice_large) A barrel of oil is 42 gallons. After refining, it makes about 19.5 gallons of gasoline in addition to numerous other products.The amount of gasoline that can be distilled from crude depends on where the crude is obtained. Venezuelan crude yields little gasoline (about 5%), whereas Texas or Arabian crude yields about 30% gasoline. This is called "straight run" gasoline. However, the distilled components of the crude oil can be further processed into gasoline by various other methods (catalytic and thermal cracking, hydrocracking, catalytic reforming, alkylation, and polymerization) to yield even more gasoline. Keeping all of this in mind and adding transportation etc I am sure the price is still quite high. Since mostly only the salaried employees give taxes here, taxes on petrol are what the government does make money off. In the current circumstances with the Provinces having eaten up their NFC rewards money shall be required. Though because of not increasing the prices for the past 2 months around 300 billion Rupees of burden has been added to the national exchequer. But honestly, all the people who are going to whine right now should maybe consider the fact that maybe we should double the taxes on petrolium and increase the prices even further which might actually be needed once we stop the aid we are taking. Its better to be mentally prepared for that..

jhs | 13 years ago | Reply Look at the international Oil prices....due to unrest in the arab world oil supply is beign hindered and uncertainity of future supply has led to the hike in prices...since we import we are direct affectees...I also agree with the comments about tax evaders!!! oh and also the currupt politicians..the tax evaders, and thief politicians could have made these burdons easier on the economy and the masses

Umair Waheed Sheikh, Khayban e Hafiz,IBA Karachi | 13 years ago | Reply Well why is CNG sold cheaper in Punjab when it is Sind and Balochistan where the gas is found. Another first for Pakistan or shall I say Punjabistan!

Faisal | 13 years ago | Reply @Asrar Ahmed: the citizens of this country are always looking for a quick handout. international oil prices are on the rise. petrol prices are high all over the world. this country is broke and cannot afford to subsidize petrol, sugar, etc. we should try and act like we have some national pride and tighten our belts. stop consuming so much. a large part of the problems in pakistan are its own citizens not being able to control themselves. try going for fewer joyrides.

abdullah | 13 years ago | Reply govt has the right to increase the prices.....we should not b so selfish ..all around the world prices have increased and it is the right of govt to increase the prices.....wen the ppl in our country can buy mobile worth 24 billion rs in a year so y can they not pay more..if u can afford a car than petrol is not a big problem.....we should not b so selfish ..this is our country we need 2 develop it and taxes r the only way as v dnt have oil wells

Umayr Masud | 13 years ago | Reply The prices of petrol had to be raised , has anyone been following whats happening in the international market due to the "arab revolutions".

Hammad Siddiqui | 13 years ago | Reply It is not a surprise, but a decision that should not have been rolled back earlier. Only economist can understand this. Common public only understands the savings in their pocket and that is natural. Unfortunately if the international prices keep increasing, Pakistan ecomony will continue suffering.. Bad Luck

Hmmm | 13 years ago | Reply And here comes MQM submitting to the petrol mafia. It is ironic that the same MQM left the government on the basis of petrol price increase now they are supporting the dealers on their demand of increase in their margins. Politics.

Aamir | 13 years ago | Reply The petrol pump mafia always stops supply to earn hefty profit on stocked petrol. All such petrol pumps should be closed and licenses cancelled immediately. By the way where is MQM the partner of PPP??

Aamir Mairaj | 13 years ago | Reply remember there should be strictly non political Movement for real Change , All politicians are corrupted or having fun in Corruptions . They should not take controlled of this movement.

ijaz naim | 13 years ago | Reply we are seeing people all over the country ready for violent revolution punjabis r ready for sure we will lock down every city in PUNJAB till justice is done and people freed from the clutched of political parties and military

Aamir | 13 years ago | Reply Our three piece suit Politicians are making us fools. We all should realize that we are governed by agents not leaders. You will never expect any thing positive from this corrupt regime. They miserably failed and will soon fly to their palaces in UK and US.

MAZHAR | 13 years ago | Reply Count Down Start....

Kazmis | 13 years ago | Reply Revolution (Inqlab) will soon be there not because we want or conditions are rough in social system or government is corrupt, but due to the formula program in which popular grievances would be exploited and put the nation in turmoil, rampage, destroying buildings etc, hence just to destroy Pakistan and whole Muslim world. Forces are against us and we think perhaps change of government can beat inflation. But in fact inflation and short supply will ruin the poor especially.

Ahsan Shahzad | 13 years ago | Reply Just look at what is going on the streets of the city of Karachi which is the capital of Sindh. Shelling of tear gas and firing all over the streets by the law enforcing agencies. AHH!!

Amer | 13 years ago | Reply To the people who are talking about Inqilab! This is hallarious to say the least. Petrol price increase leads to an inqilab for you? When was the last time you paid a paysa of tax? and what will the inqilab do for you? bring petrol prices down? Don't get me wrong, I am all for inqilab if it has a meaning or purpose otherwise it's mostly rubbish!

Farooq | 13 years ago | Reply Mere khayal may Kisi qism ka koi inqilaab nahi aaye ga yahan.....ye sub kehne ki baatien hain....aj dunya jahan ko Qaddafi bura lag raha hai lekin aik maheene pehle tak isi Qaddafi ke dunya dum bharti thi....Egypt may kia hua.....America ne apna banda bitha dia....wohi Albaradi jis ne sirf Muslim countries per Atom Bomb k hawale say sirf Muslim countries ko daraya dhamkaya....sirf or sirf America k ema per...or doosri taraf Israel ko khuli chutti dii....kia yehi inqilaab hai??

zakir | 13 years ago | Reply count down towards INQILAB has begun.

tahir amjad | 13 years ago | Reply when the oil prices are increasing & we have to import on a higher price then naturally the prices should be increased.The people screaming about revolution should first get their NTN's made & start paying income tax. Rahat fateh khan doesn't pay tax when he earns in crores,the rest of the singers,actors,sportsmen don't pay taxes. The traders,shopkeepers who number in their millions dont pay taxes & then these people are shameless enough to howl when the prices go up.

Imran Jafri | 13 years ago | Reply List item Inqalaab

Asrar Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply Seriously; who is protecting the interest of the citizens. The members of parliament evidently are not.

disco | 13 years ago | Reply 14rs been raised in petrol prices..HAHAHAHAH

Ahmer Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Assalam-o-Allaikum Warahmatullah.All the present conditions happening in Pakistan in the forms of political instability,expensiveness and lawlessness are driving Pakistan towards the conditions as in Tunisia,Egypt and Libya.And this is all happening just due to negligence and ignorance of present corrupt PPPP's leadership and the nation may hear the good news any time any day about the termination of the present government interfered by the army or public aggression.Opposition and in-government political parties are fighting with each others like cats and dogs.Common and poor man's financial,social and economical life is being destroyed very badly on large scale.No one is seeming sincere,honest,dedicated and devoted to resolve the nation's problems and difficulties on priority basis.Every politician is seeming greedy to be in the government.The nation's patience level has been exceeding.Despite knowing every thing our leaders are still claiming that nation's economical and financial conditions are improving also Pakistan's economical and financial conditions.

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