Islamabad: The poor and NON-PRIVILEDGED in Pakistan are likely to get another major shock as Shahbaz regime is ready to upload for them another major increase in the oil prices on Friday (Tomorrow) Prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif, had hinted at the increase in oil prices in his rare address to his cabinet the other day. After the prime minister’s clear indication of increase in the oil prices, Ogra and other related departments will simply determine how much increase is to be made.
Pakistan is already at top in the region as far as its oil prices for the end consumers are concerned as its decision makers are buying crude oil at higher rates from the international market. Two things make a base for any comparison between two individuals or countries. One exact end price of anything at which tis available in the open market to the end users. Second, the income of the person whose comparison is being made with any other party. As per these two fundamentals, the oil prices in Pakistan are already on higher side in the region. The government is making fun of the masses when its ministers and even the top minister say they were doing great efforts to protect them from the real impact of the oil prices to which they commonly quotes as SKY HIGH. From the day one of the Middle East (ME) war, the government is using the conflict as an opportunity to increase levy on petrol and high speed diesel (HSD).
As of today, the government is charging Rs 106, almost one third of total per lire price from the end consumers . Likewise, levy on each HSD liiter stands over Rs 212. It’s not levy on petroleum products only which is hurting the inflation-hit Pakistanis, rather the spiral effect of any increase in oil prices makes the people lives difficult. With each upward revision in the oil prices, things of daily use , transport, air travel, each and everything becomes dear even more than the proportion of the increase. In Pakistan ,.industrialist to shopkeeper everyone takes the increase in the oil prices as a golden opportunity to scale-up rates of their stocks. There is no system in Pakistan to check as to how much impact of any increase in oil prices has been uploaded by industrialists and shopkeepers on the end consumers. The end consumers are like a goat which remains available to every profiteer and system misuser for their profit-making spree. Actually, the end consumers are helpless to the exploitation of the system. They have no other option, but to face brunt of each and every injustice.
Since eruption of the war in ME in February last, the low income group has been
put to bear 100 percent fall out of the conflict. This strategy of the ruling elite has made the lives of the low income group, which makes more than 70 percent of Pakistan’s total population, like a hell.
Since the ruling elite and authorities are beneficiary of the current system they are over and above the system. They are enjoying every facility they want to enjoy. The ruling elite is enjoying free petrol, free electricity and other facilities at the cost of living of the poor of this country. The government is not ready to end free electricity and petrol to the ruling elite of Pakistan. The poor of this country can not now even come out of their homes and protest against injustice being met to them by the government as they are trapped in a web of poverty and fear of being catch and jailed for voicing against any social and economic injustice sprawling at the moment in Pakistan’s society.