ISLAMABAD: The government came under fire in the Senate on Monday for the latest increase in prices of petroleum products, as lawmakers accused the government of “economic oppression” and urged for making an exit from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.
Taking the floor on a private members day, Senator Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, who is Parliamentary Leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, slammed the government over the latest increase in petroleum prices, calling it a “petrol bomb”, reflecting the rulers’ “incompetence, economic mismanagement and insensitivity toward the public.”
He pointed out that the government was collecting more than Rs117.5 per litre in petroleum levy, far exceeding the IMF-agreed limit of Rs80, and termed the policy a “daylight robbery” aimed at covering up economic incompetence.
Senator Ali Zafar referred to the famous story associated with Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution, and said that when the poor had no bread to eat, the French queen was famously quoted as saying, “then let them eat cake,” a remark that came to symbolise a ruling elite disconnected from the suffering of the common man.
He stressed that petrol and diesel prices crossing Rs415 per litre amounted to “economic oppression” against the people. Ali Zafar rejected the government’s justification for the increase and argued that global oil prices had in fact declined but instead of reducing prices, the government had sharply hiked petroleum levies.
The PTI legislator also criticised the Punjab government for “purchasing a luxury aircraft” while inflation, unemployment and rising fuel prices were crushing the public. He added the move reflected the same mindset of rulers living in comfort while the people face hardship.
Comparing Pakistan with regional countries, Ali Zafar pointed out that petrol prices in New Delhi were approximately Rs278 per litre and in Dhaka around Rs310 per litre, meaning Pakistanis were paying Rs100 to Rs140 more per litre. He said this was further proof of the regime’s incompetence.
He warned that the latest fuel price hike would trigger another wave of inflation affecting agriculture, transport and food prices across the country. He noted that electricity tariffs had increased by 53 percent, while flour prices had risen by 51 percent, leaving ordinary citizens unable to cope with the rising cost of living. He said farmers and the general public were suffering while the government appeared indifferent.
Ali Zafar also criticised the government’s economic policies, saying the government was celebrating the release of IMF installments as an achievement. He also referred to another scandal highlighted by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which allegedly found that powerful oil marketing companies had been illegally getting subsidies at the cost of the ordinary citizens.
On behalf of the PTI, he demanded the immediate withdrawal of the latest increase in petroleum prices, an end to what he called “cruel taxation,” and complete transparency in the fuel pricing mechanism.
Criticism also came from one of the government allies-MQM when its Senator Aamir Waliuddin Chishti rose to warn that Pakistan had the most expensive energy and lowest exports in the region and said the country would not escape “the IMF’s clutches” without urgent tax cuts to boost trade.
Meanwhile, an independent member of the House, Abdul Qadir tabled a bill, which seeks to extending eligibility for blue (official) passports to the children of senators until the age of 28, triggering debate over existing passport regulations and privileges for public office holders.
Through, the bill, Senator Abdul Qadir tabled an amendment to the Passport Act 1974 (The Passports (Amendment) Bill, 2026) and explained that senior bureaucrats, including Grade-22 officers, are already entitled to official (blue) passports for their dependents under certain conditions; The proposed legislation aims to extend similar facilitation to lawmakers’ families.
But as anticipated, the proposed legislation faced immediate resistance from the Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, who opposed it and said that existing passport rules are clear and do not allow the issuance of blue passports to children of parliamentarians.
He also argued that the passport regulations are well-defined, and children are not eligible for official passports under the present law. However, afterwards, the chair referred the bill to the relevant committee for further deliberation and report.
On a point of public importance, JUIF Senator Kamran Murtaza from Balochistan expressed concern over his party lawmaker Abdul Shakoor, who, he said, had been placed on the Schedule Four; He pointed out that the senator had to report to a police station for attendance despite the fact the party members faced targeted killings, referring to the recent killing of Maulana Idrees.
The chair sought a report on the matter. The House will now meet again today (Tuesday) at 4pm.
