PESHAWAR: A lawyer on Saturday moved Peshawar High Court, challenging hike in prices of petroleum products by federal government.

Advocate Gul Daraz Khan filed a petition, requesting the court to declare as illegal and unconstitutional the notification issued by the government on March 6 whereby prices of petrol and diesel were increased by Rs55 per litre.

He also sought directives of court for government to withdraw the impugned notification. The petition filed through Advocate Salman Khan includes as respondents the president and prime minister of Pakistan through their principal secretaries, federal government through petroleum secretary and secretaries of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and finance department.

The petitioner stated that the prices of petrol and diesel were highly increased up to Rs55 per litre giving the reason that the decision was taken in the wake of war between Iran and Israel. He said that the act of respondents hit hard ordinary people in the country.

He contended that as per law and judgements of superior courts of Pakistan, elected representatives were servants of the people of Pakistan and every decision of government must be for the welfare and interest of citizens rather than to badly affect them.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2026