Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah lowered the petrol allotment of ministers and government officials by 40 per cent this week as part of his moderation campaign following another spike in petroleum prices.
Keeping in view a substantial spike in POL prices within the last few days, the decision was made to limit spending and decrease the strain on the national kitty.
“The rise in petrol price should not be a burden on the exchequer,” Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah said, increasing the treasury’s load entails intensifying the burden on individuals.
To meet the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions, the government has unleashed another big gasoline bomb on the country after another hike of Rs30. In less than a month, the price of petrol has risen by Rs60 to Rs209.86.
The latest petrol price hike came just hours after the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) approved a power tariff hike of Rs7.91 per unit.
The price hike sparked riots in Karachi, with protesters wrecking a petrol pump and torching tyres on University Road. Despite expressing their dissatisfaction with the situation, the general public has requested that the government tightens its belt instead of putting the weight on the populace.
Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokar, a top PPP lawmaker, also shared this attitude, suggesting a 50 per cent wage cut for politicians, generals, judges, and senior bureaucrats.
“Why should common folk shoulder the failures of the political, military and judicial elite? This joke has to end”.
If the average citizen is compelled to narrow his belt, Khokar believes that politicians, generals, judges, and top bureaucrats’ income should be halved and all amenities, including free utilities, should be removed.
The administration warned on June 2 that it would raise fuel prices by Rs30 for the second time in ten days, as an attempt to obtain the remaining funds from IMF.
