ISLAMABAD: The PTI and the PPP have critcised the latest government decision to increase petroleum prices, warning that it would further burden a public already reeling from high inflation.

In separate statements, the PTI dem­a­nded that the government reduce its spe­nding on luxuries instead of “penalising people”, while the PPP asked the authorities to review how much profit oil companies earned rather than burdening the masses.

The PTI said the prices of petroleum products were raised at a time when the public was already burdened by inflation, unemployment, and heavy bills. “The government has once again shifted the weight of its incompetence and anti-people economic policies directly onto the shoulders of ordinary citizens, farmers, labourers, and industries. Along with the recent increase, the government has also introduced a system for daily fluctuations in fuel prices,” it stated.

“The increase in petrol prices does not only affect vehicle owners; its repercussions extend to food items, transportation, agriculture, industry, and the budget of every household,” the PTI said, questioning why only common man was asked to make all sacrifices every time.

The PTI firmly asserts that the government must immediately reduce the petroleum levy and significantly cut unnecessary taxes imposed on the public.

While criticising the rise in petrol pri­ces, PPP General Secretary Nayyer Huss­ain Bukhari said, “The impact of the pet­roleum levy falls directly on the people.”

He urged the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to review how much profit oil companies earned and called on the government to improve tax collection from taxable segments. “Forget the whole country, tax collection even from shopkeepers in Islamabad is not being done properly,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2026