Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif on Friday slammed the hike in petroleum prices, which comes days after Prime Minister Imran Khan announced a 'massive' public relief package to help alleviate poverty.
Reacting to the increase in prices, Shehbaz said the government had "surpassed all limits of incompetency, inefficiency, and corruption".
“Petrol and diesel price increase of more than Rs 8 will further increase inflation,” he claimed, adding that the people will be unable to survive.
According to Shehbaz, the government is will increase inflation by increasing the petroleum levy at the behest of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is “cruel”.
“The government has also given in to the IMF's conditions for increasing electricity tariff. The government has given the public an 'inflation package'. The nation is asking: are these the good days the PTI government have brought?"
Shehbaz compared Pakistan’s situation to neighbouring countries, claiming that taxes and prices of petroleum products in India are lower than that in Pakistan, while both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have cheaper diesel.
“Emptying the pockets of the people through inflation cannot run the country and the economy, nor the homes of the poor,” he added.
Shehbaz maintained that the incumbent government can only give the populace ‘takleef’ (pain) instead of ‘relief’.
“Government officials are being changed on the basis of incompetence but Imran Khan is [still] sitting on his seat after such incompetence and corruption,” the PML-N president stated.
The leader of the opposition further said the incumbent government had brought people to the point of ration cards in three years, adding that PM Imran had become the "killer of people's happiness".
“The price of cooking oil has also gone up by 130% in three years. A new storm of inflation has arrived with the announcement of the relief package.”
“Yet another petrol bomb exploded on the masses in the dead of night. This is IK's way of providing 'relief' after giving a long sermon yesterday. Unfortunately, everyday dawns with horrible news for the people. This incompetent/corrupt PTI govt & Pakistan can't go together!"
Yet another petrol bomb exploded on the masses in the dead of night. This is IK’s way of providing “relief” after giving a long sermon yesterday. Unfortunately, everyday dawns with horrible news for the people. This incompetent/corrupt PTI govt & Pakistan can't go together!
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) November 5, 2021
Secretary-General of Pakistan Peoples Party Nayyar Bukhari also condemned the price hike in petroleum products, claiming that announcing a relief package in the morning and then increasing petrol prices at night is not a “wise” ruler’s decision.
“The IMF team is running the country under IMF orders,” he said, adding that people were looking for the Imran Khan who had claimed he would “commit suicide before going to the IMF”.
“The rulers have made it a norm to drop ‘inflation bombs’ on the populace,” he maintained.
Bukhari claimed that in ‘Naya Pakistan’, the affluent elite are getting “relief”, while the country becomes a graveyard for the poor due to the government’s “anti-poor” measures.
“The government is making it difficult for the people to survive,” he said.
PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman took to Twitter and also slammed the petrol price hike.
"Days after announcing a 'relief package', PTI govt drops another petrol bomb by hiking petrol prices by a whopping Rs8.14/L. Petrol prices now stand at a record Rs145.8/L. First time in Pakistan’s history that prices of all the petroleum products are above Rs110/L. #NayaPakistan," she wrote.
Days after announcing a “relief package”, PTI govt drops another petrol bomb by hiking petrol prices by a whopping Rs 8.14/L. Petrol prices now stand at a record Rs 145.8/L.First time in Pakistan’s history that prices of all the petroleum products are above Rs110/L. #NayaPakistan pic.twitter.com/SABjEUaFAj
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) November 5, 2021
PML-N Spokesperson Mariyum Aurangzeb also quipped that the relief package was a ‘takleef package’, stating that every announcement by PM Imran was a “lie, deceit and fraud”.
مریم اورنگزیب ترجمان مسلم لیگ ن کا پٹرول کی قیمت میں اضافہ پہ ردِ عمل
— PML(N) (@pmln_org) November 5, 2021
عمران صاحب آپ کا تکلیف پیکج عوام کو بہت مہنگا پڑ رہا ہے
عمران صاحب اور عمران صاحب کا ہر اعلان صرف جھوٹ
فراڈ اور دھوکہ ہوتا ہے
عمران صاحب کیا آپ کو عوام سے جھوٹ بول کر شرم بھی نہیں آتی
She asked the Prime Minister to have some mercy on the populace, adding that sugar was Rs150 per kilogram and petrol was Rs146, after the announcement of the relief package.
عمران صاحب اللہ کا واسطہ ہے عوام پہ ترس کھائیں
— PML(N) (@pmln_org) November 5, 2021
ریلیف پیکج کے بعد چینی 150 روپیہ کلو اور پٹرول 146روپیہ عوام کی تضحیک ہے
عوام جانتی ہے کہ آپ کا ریلیف پیکج اپنے اے ٹی ایمز ، مافیا اور کارٹلز کے لئے ریکیف اور عوام کیلئے صرف تکلیف ہے
“People know that your relief package is a relief for your ATMs, mafia and cartels and only a nuisance for the people,” she claimed.
Mariyum asked the premier to resign from his position as he could not provide any relief to the people and was going to “every extent to provide relief to the mafia” and pain [takleef] to the people.
“Raising the price of petrol will once again increase the prices of flour, sugar, gas, electricity, medicine and food items,” she said.
آپ عوام کو کوئی ریلیف نہیں دےسکتے ، اللہ کا واسطہ ہے عوام کو اپنا استیفیٰ دے دیں
— PML(N) (@pmln_org) November 5, 2021
عمران صاحب عوام کو تکلیف اور مافیا کو ریلیف فراہم کرنے کیلئے ہر حد تک جا رہے ہیں
پٹرول کی قیمت بھرنے سے ایک بار پھر آٹا ، چینی ، گیس بجلی دوائی اور کھانے پینے کی اشیا کی قیمت میں اضافہ ہوگا
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