Senators decry hike in petroleum prices, accuse govt of 'economic oppression'

ISLAMABAD: Senators on Monday decried the latest hike in petroleum prices and costly energy, accusing the government of “economic oppression” and calling for an exit from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. PTI’s parliamentary leader in the Senate, Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, termed the fresh hike in petroleum prices a “petrol bomb” and “economic oppression” against the public, regretting the Rs117.5 per litre levy. Speaking on the floor of the Upper House, Zafar rejected the government’s claim that international oil prices forced the increase, arguing that global crude prices had instead declined. “Instead of reducing prices, the government has sharply increased petroleum levies on the public,” he said. He said the government was collecting “more than Rs117.5 per litre in petroleum levy, far exceeding the IMF-agreed limit of Rs80,” terming the policy “daylight robbery” aimed at covering up “economic incompetence”. Referring to the French Revolution, Zafar said when the poor had no bread, Queen Marie Antoinette was attributed as saying, “Then let them eat cake,” a remark symbolising a ruling elite disconnected from the common man’s suffering. Drawing a parallel, he criticised the Punjab government for purchasing a luxury aircraft amid inflation, unemployment and rising fuel prices. “The move reflected the same mindset of rulers living in comfort while the people drowned in hardship,” he lamented. Zafar said crude oil in Dubai had fallen from $170 per barrel to around $95. Despite this, he noted, petrol was about Rs278 per litre in Delhi and Rs310 in Dhaka, meaning “Pakistanis were paying Rs100 to Rs140 more per litre”. He warned that the hike would trigger another wave of inflation in agriculture, transport and food. He said electricity tariffs had risen 53 per cent and flour prices 51pc, leaving citizens unable to cope. Zafar said the government was celebrating IMF instalments, but this meant “the country would soon be burdened with an additional Rs1.5 t