ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday defended his decision to increase petroleum prices in the country, saying the rates in his country were still the lowest among the oil importing world.
Khan issued the statement while addressing a gathering in Attock where he laid the foundation stone of a maternity hospital.
Last month, he refused to increase the price of petrol by Rs11.53 after receiving a proposal for upward revision from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority.
An official statement maintained the prime minister took the decision “keeping in view the public interest,” though he announced in his address to the nation in the next few days that it was inevitable to raise these prices.
“India is selling one liter of petrol for Rs250 while Bangladesh is doing that for Rs200,” he told his audience. “Pakistan is selling it for Rs146. If we count out the oil producing nations, Pakistan is offering diesel and petrol at the cheapest rates in all the oil importing countries.”
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The prime minister said his government managed to keep the oil prices low by drastically cutting down the petroleum levy.
He added the world was moving through a tough phase which was also negatively impacting his country’s economy, though he hoped for a positive change in the coming months since world markets were gradually opening up after the coronavirus pandemic.
Khan also criticized his political rivals during his speech, saying Pakistan was left behind by other regional states in the last 30 years.
He added his administration was doing its best to catch up with the rest of the world by constructing dams and developing other infrastructure while moving toward more enduring economic growth.