ISLAMABAD: The Tehreek Tahaffuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan on Sunday condemned what it called the injustice in the form of further increase in levy on petroleum products while oil prices have fallen in the world market.
“Despite the decline in oil prices in the global market during the past week, the government has once again announced an increase in petrol prices,” said TTAP Spokesman Akhunzada Hussain. He said the opposition alliance would announce a series of protest campaigns in the next few days. Since the start of the war between Iran and the US, he emphasized, the government of Pakistan has increased petrol prices by 61%. During the same period, petrol prices in Sri Lanka increased by 38%, in Bangladesh only by 16%, while prices in India have remained unchanged.
“This extraordinary increase in petrol prices in Pakistan is a clear proof of the incompetence, failure and corruption of the Pakistani government. Such increases have on many occasions provided an opportunity for oil marketing companies and oil refineries to earn extraordinary profits from the public,” he charged.
He maintained: “This increase has been made mainly in the form of petroleum levy tax which has no connection with global oil prices and the opposition alliance strongly condemns this increase and stands with the people of Pakistan against this injustice.”
This sharp increase in petrol prices, he pointed out, has resulted in a significant increase in transport costs, food prices and overall inflation which has now reached double digits. He contended that the opposition alliance believes that these decisions would further increase economic hardship, push more people below the poverty line and lead to increased unemployment.
