ANP slams govt over fuel price hike

Central president of the Awami National Party (ANP), Senator Aimal Wali Khan, has accused the Shehbaz Sharif-led federal government of burdening the nation with irresponsible policies while indulging in political drama, as ordinary Pakistanis struggle under a relentless wave of inflation.

Addressing the media in Peshawar, the ANP chief said the people of Pakistan are drowning in a storm of rising prices, while the government continues to impose heavy burdens on them and then stages dramatic announcements to mask its actions.

"The government first took an irrational, undemocratic and anti-people step by suddenly increasing petrol prices by Rs137 per litre, taking it to Rs458. It then announced a partial reduction of Rs80, bringing the price down to Rs378 per litre. Yet the reality is that the public is still bearing an extra burden of Rs80 per litre compared to the price before this abrupt hike," he said.

Aimal Wali Khan described the move as a deliberate psychological ploy. "This is a game with public psychology. First, an extraordinary increase is imposed to create pressure, and then a partial cut is presented as 'relief' to win cheap applause," he remarked.