Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed again on Friday that Pakistan still had the cheapest petrol prices in the region.
The Prime Minister said that there was uproar in India too over petrol prices as there is Rs150 price of per litre petrol as compared to Pakistan where it is the lowest at Rs146.
He expressed these words while addressing a gathering at Attock after ground-breaking ceremony of a Maternal and Child Hospital on Friday.
The PM said that per litre petrol price in Bangladesh is Rs200.
He stated that Pakistan had the lowest prices for petrol and diesel among the oil-importing countries. The PM explained this was possible because the government had reduced its taxes and levies. The PM said that inflation was a global phenomenon due to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing various isues such as supply shortages, trade closure, lockdowns, reduced buying and selling.
He said: “the oil prices have doubled during last three months,”.
The PM said that the prices first decreased but now doubled all over the world except the oil producing countries.
“When oil becomes expensive then everything becomes expensive,” he explained. Imran Khan said that freight costs also increased which caused prices of Pakistan’s imports to rise as well such as oil, pulses, ghee (cooking oil) and palm oil.
The prime minister’s comments come the same day as the government increased petroleum prices by up to Rs8.14 per litre with immediate effect to ensure the revival of the International Monetary Fund programme.
The increase followed despite the prime minister’s rejection on Saturday of a proposal by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority to increase petroleum prices and a decision to keep them unchanged for the next fortnight.
Last month, the government had earned the ire of its political rivals after it hiked the price of petrol by Rs10.49 per litre on Oct 16
