LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Punjab Kissan Wing General Secretary Ejaz Shafi has said that since 2022, all economic policies of Shehbaz’s “incompetent” government have proved to be destructive.

In a statement, he stated that the continuous increase in petrol prices was no longer just an issue, but had become a serious crisis for both the common people and farmers. On one hand, the general public was being crushed under the burden of inflation, while on the other hand, farmers were facing severe difficulties due to not receiving fair prices for their crops.

He added that the wheat harvesting season had now begun, and poor farmers had been forced to run their tractors, threshers, and harvesters on diesel costing Rs520 per litre, which would economically destroy them.

According to government officials, ships carrying petroleum were arriving -- so how was such a sharp increase justified, he questioned. He said that the truth was that the petroleum levy was nothing but robbery. “It has no connection with the budget, revenue, or the IMF. It is a robbery tax and the incompetent government should abolish it immediately,” he said.

He said that a 70pc increase in petrol and diesel prices within a month had multiplied the cost of transportation, fertilisers, seeds, and other agricultural inputs.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2026