Pakistan offers competitive petrol prices: Cheema

PM's aide says dollar witnessed 36 per cent increase from 2019 till 2021

LAHORE:

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Food Security Jamshed Iqbal Cheema said on Saturday that petrol in Pakistan was offered at a lower rate than the rest of the world with the exception of 24 oil-producing countries.

Addressing a press conference, he stated that the per litre price in countries that import petrol was higher compared to the price of petrol in Pakistan.

He said the incumbent government is selling petrol at 67 cents while the average selling price of petrol during the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz government was 78 cents while the Pakistan Peoples Party government sold petrol for 80 to 90 cents during its tenure. He added that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was selling diesel at a lower cost as well.

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Talking about the increase in the value of the US dollar, the SAPM said that from 2019 till 2021, the value of the dollar had increased up to 36 per cent.

While shedding light on the measures to control prices of essential items, Cheema said that this year the present government was importing four million tonnes of wheat and 0.6 million tonnes of sugar. He further said the government wanted to keep four-month storage of 15 essential items so that instability in prices could be avoided.