Dawn
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17:06 May 11, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Senators on Monday decried the latest hike in petroleum prices and costly energy, accusing the government of “economic oppression” and calling for an exit from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. PTI’s parliamentary leader in the Senate, Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, termed the fresh hike in petroleum prices a “petrol bomb” and “economic oppression” against the public, regretting the Rs117.5 per litre levy. Speaking on the floor of the Upper House, Zafar rejected the government’s claim that international oil prices forced the increase, arguing that global crude prices had instead declined. “Instead of reducing prices, the government has sharply increased petroleum levies on the public,” he said. He said the government was collecting “more than Rs117.5 per litre in petroleum levy, far exceeding the IMF-agreed limit of Rs80,” terming the policy “daylight robbery” aimed at covering up “economic incompetence”. Referring to the French Revolution, Zafar said when the poor had no bread, Queen Mar...