Opposition alliance criticises govt over inflation, fuel pricing

ISLAMABAD: Leaders of Tehreek Tahaffuz Aain-e-Pakistan (TTAP) on Wednesday sharply criticised the government’s handling of the economy, accusing it of failing to ease public hardship and of allowing benefits to flow to what they described as mafias through petroleum pricing.

Speaking at a news conference, Salman Akram Raja said the country was passing through what he called extremely grave economic conditions and questioned what he termed the Form 47 government was doing to provide relief to citizens. He said ordinary people, especially low-income groups, were finding it increasingly difficult to manage their expenses, adding that it was the opposition’s responsibility to place the facts before the public.

Raja said that even after 78 years, Pakistan had not developed a strong industrial base and claimed that no major international company was prepared to invest in the country. He said the opposition would continue to raise its voice on these issues.

He also defended the decision to call off the April 9 rally, saying it was the correct step. According to Raja, the party was in contact with international diplomats and could not issue threats while efforts were under way to promote global peace. He said PTI founder Imran Khan had directed Barrister Salman Safdar to cancel the rally and instead focus on peace diplomacy.

Raja added that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Salman Safdar discussed the matter with him through a video link. He said the PTI founder had appreciated the efforts of Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, while stressing that no one other than the party founder could assign or withdraw their responsibilities.

Fuel prices and economic management

Former governor Muhammad Zubair said the opposition had expected an increase in petroleum prices amid tensions between Iran and the United States and had anticipated that the government would struggle to manage the situation.

He alleged that oil mafias made billions of rupees, particularly in March, by selling previously stored fuel at elevated rates. Zubair claimed that petroleum purchased at $60-65 per barrel was sold at $80-85 and said prices had risen sharply within three weeks. "The government has looted the public to benefit oil companies," he said, while demanding accountability over who had authorised such decisions.

Zubair further criticised the sharp rise in diesel prices, claiming that even fuel refined locally had been priced at international levels. He also welcomed the expected financial support from Saudi Arabia, but said it would probably be used to replace existing liabilities, including loans from Dubai. He added that Saudi Arabia had repeatedly supported Pakistan during difficult periods.

Taimur Jhagra said the government had failed to keep fuel prices stable and alleged that the situation reflected a mix of incompetence and daylight robbery. He said the government had entirely failed to stabilise the economy over the past four years and showed no indication of improvement.

Referring to the IMF’s governance report, Jhagra said it pointed to widespread corruption. He also spoke about worsening electricity outages, claiming that load shedding in Punjab had reached up to 16 hours, while Islamabad and other areas were also facing power cuts. In Peshawar, he said, outages were lasting up to 22 hours and that there had been no effective government response.