Following the recent hike in petroleum prices up to Pakistani Rupees 8.14 per litre, the opposition leaders on Friday lashed out at the Imran Khan government and termed the hike "petrol bomb", local media reported.
Ironically, the government had earlier decided not to change the prices in "public interest".
Pakistan Muslim League (N) President and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif hit out at the Imran Khan government saying "another petrol bomb exploded on the masses in the dead of night", reported ARY News.
"This is IK's [Prime Minister Imran Khan] way of providing "relief" after giving a long sermon yesterday. Unfortunately, everyday dawns with horrible news for the people," Sharif tweeted.
The party president added that the government has given the public an "inflation package".
"The government is about to increase inflation by raising the petroleum levy on the orders of IMF which is cruel. The government has also given in to the IMF's conditions for increasing electricity tariff. The government has given the public an 'inflation package'. The nation is asking: these are the good days they (PTI government) have brought?" Dawn reported Sharif as saying.
He further called Imran Khan "incompetent" and said that the government could only trouble people instead of providing relief.
"Government officers are being changed because of incompetence but Imran Khan is [still] sitting on his seat after the biggest incompetence and corruption. The incumbent government could "only give takleef (trouble) to people instead of relief," Dawn quoted the party president as saying.
Pakistan Peoples Party parliamentary leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman demanded the government to withdraw the hike in the prices.
The opposition lawmakers protested against the price hike in the Senate and the National Assembly and walked out of both the houses chanting slogans against the government leading to the lack of quorum, reported ARY News.
Earlier, Imran Khan led-government had increased petroleum prices by up to Pakistani Rupees 8.14 per litre.
The decision was announced on Friday by the ministry of finance. The prime minister had early this week put on hold the increase in the wake of protest by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan, reported Dawn.
On the basis of tax rates, import parity price and exchange rate, the government increased the price of petrol and high-speed diesel by Rs 8.03 and Rs 8.14 per litre, respectively. Similarly, the prices of kerosene and light diesel oil were increased by Rs 6.27 and Rs 5.72 per litre, respectively, said the Pakistani newspaper.
This comes after Imran Khan on Wednesday announced "country's biggest-ever" subsidy package worth Rs 120 billion, providing a 30 per cent discount on ghee, flour and pulses to support 130 million people by ebbing away from the impact of inflation.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor