Fuel prices

The fuel price in the international market has gone down to $33 a barrel. This downward slide from about $60 has occurred at a time when the global demand is being eroded by the coronavirus outbreak. This is a big opportunity for us to pass on the benefits of lower fuel prices to the general public also. The government had last month reduced the prices but they were in no way commensurate with the international fall. Also this measure by the government did not have any effect on the buying power of a common man as it did not bring down the prices of essential commodities.

Here in our country whenever fuel prices are raised, the prices of all essential items automatically go up. However, their prices never ever go down with the decrease in fuel cost. The sitting government has never had an effective mechanism in operation to ensure that prices go down also. As a result, the common people always suffer. I sincerely believe that this is a God-sent opportunity for the PTI government to reduce the fuel prices to half, to about Rs50 a litre, and at the same time ensure that the prices of daily use essential items are also lowered accordingly. So far the government has miserably failed in taking to task the real culprits in large-scale hoardings of sugar and wheat that occurred last month. Across-the-board accountability for all, without fear or favour, is the only panacea for all the ills that our society faces today.

Cdre (r) Sajjad Ali Shah Bokhari

Islamabad