Opposition blasts ‘inflation bomb’

Opposition parties on Saturday came down hard on the government’s decision to raise petrol and diesel prices by Rs55 per litre, denouncing it as an “inflation bomb” that would tighten the squeeze on households already struggling to keep their heads above water amid soaring living costs.

Opposition leaders warned the move would set off a fresh spiral of inflation and urged the government to roll back the increase without delay.

The steep hike comes as Pakistan grapples with the economic fallout of the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, which has thrown a wrench into trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for the country’s oil imports.

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said the decision was the “worst form of governance and a grave anti-people move”.

“When people are already struggling to make ends meet, such decisions are tantamount to rubbing salt into the people’s wounds,” he said on X.

Abbas questioned whether ordinary citizens or the ruling elite would ultimately bear the burden, noting that the government already collects more than Rs100 per litre in petroleum levies.

“The need of the hour is for the government – instead of placing the burden on the people, to cut its privileges – protocol and unnecessary expenditures and immediately provide relief to the people,” he said.

He added that if the Middle East conflict drags on, it could also threaten food security, urging the government to support agriculture through subsidies on fertilisers, seeds and other inputs.

Abbas also said inflation was severely affecting government employees and called for two additional salaries to be paid ahead of Eid.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s political committee also condemned the decision, deploring it as a “cruel” move that places further financial pressure on the public.

The party slammed the ruling coalition for “burdening the people with inflation instead of providing them relief, while the ruling elite’s own extravagance continues to escalate unabated”.

“On the one hand, there is an abundance of state aircraft and lavish perks for the officials of the government imposed through Form 47. On the other hand, petrol prices have been pushed out of reach for the poor public,” the party said.

In a separate post on its official X account, PTI said: “The Rs 55 per litre ‘petrol bomb’ detonated by Shehbaz Sharif’s illegitimate Form47 government will push ordinary Pakistanis deeper into economic crisis.”

PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram called the increase the “worst petrol bomb in history”, saying the decision would make transport, food and other essentials more expensive.

“Petrol and diesel [are made] expensive, but why are rulers’ planes and protocols cheap?” he asked.

“Petrol is expensive, electricity is expensive, flour is expensive. Where should the public go? There is extravagant protocol for the rulers, [but] hell of an inflation for the public.”

PTI MNA Junaid Akbar also criticised the government, saying it had “used the global market as an excuse” to raise fuel prices while maintaining taxes exceeding Rs100 per litre on petrol.

Meanwhile, PPP Parliamentarians spokesperson Shazia Marri expressed “serious concern and regret” over the price increase, calling the Rs55 per litre hike a major economic burden on the public.

In a statement, she said the second fuel price increase during the holy month of Ramazan was deeply unfortunate and would trigger another wave of inflation.