Pervaiz Elahi lambasts govt over petroleum price hike

LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has heavily criticised the incumbent government for a record level increase in prices of petroleum products, ARY News reported on Friday.

In a statement, PML-Q central leader Pervaiz Elahi pointed out that the economic problems will not be solved by approaching International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In an apparent reference to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he said that the person, who claimed to sell clothes for providing relief, has took off the clothes of the masses.

“This incompetent government has crushed the people by increasing inflation under IMF pressure. These people are here only to wreak havoc,” the Punjab Assembly Speaker added.

Pervaiz Elahi strongly rejected the record increase in prices of petroleum products, saying that the increase of Rs60 per litre is tantamount to destroying the economy.  “Such cruel decision will only make the situation worse,” he added.

He noted said that the next budget will further increase burden on the inflation-hit people. “Why the government is not procuring 30 percent cheaper oil from Russia,” the PML-Q leader asked.

A day earlier, the federal government increased the prices of petroleum products by Rs30 per litre. After the hike, the price of petrol will be at Rs209.86, diesel at Rs204.15, and kerosene oil at Rs181.56.

This was the second such increase within a span of two weeks as the coalition government led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) raised the price of petrol by Rs30 per litre on May 26, the biggest increase in fuel price in the country’s history.