‘Khan Sahib, have mercy on people’: Bilawal asks PM to reverse increase in petrol prices

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Monday said the federal government does not care for poor people's problems, and rejected the recent petroleum price hike.

The PPP chairman, in a statement, said in one month, Rs10 have been increased on a litre of petrol. "The government is [increasing petrol prices] to meet its own expenses," he said.

The PPP chairman said Pakistan could not bear more inflation. "This selected government's incompetence is holding back Pakistan from progressing; Prime Minister Imran Khan does not know anything except lying and political victimisation," Bilawal said.

Addressing the prime minister, he said, “Khan Sahib, have mercy on the people and reverse the increase in petrol prices.” "The PPP had kept petrol prices stable despite facing harsh conditions," he added.

“The government is, in fact, slashing its expenditure by abdicating its responsibility to protect the most vulnerable, and its policy to raise revenue by unleashing ‘petrol bombs’ and ramping up indirect taxation on a country already reeling from three years of economic malice and incompetence,” he said.

He said that the increase in prices of petroleum products would further escalate inflation, adding that Pakistan could not afford more inflation.

Meanwhile, the PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari demanded convening of a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security on the rising tensions in Afghanistan and its impact on the region.

“The government’s silence on the situation in Afghanistan is deeply regrettable and worrying some as such silence could have serious consequences,” he said. Nayyar Bukhari asked the government clarify its strategy in view of the situation in Afghanistan.

He asked the government to show seriousness, and it would not be appropriate to ignore the situation like this.