ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in National Assembly, Syed Khursheed Shah, has reiterated that the benefit of reduction in prices of petroleum products should be passed on to the masses.
He asked the government to probe into the crisis to find out the responsible people and to avoid this situation in future. He said that various government departments owed around Rs210 billion to Pakistan State Oil (PSO), which imports around 60 per cent of the required oil for the country. Khursheed Shah said that due to the decline in oil prices in the international market, small companies had reduced their imports, which aggravated the problem since PSO had no money to meet the entire demand.
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He asked who was responsible for the petrol crisis, how much oil the government was planning to import, and what steps were being taken to avoid such a situation in the future?
The PPP leader alleged that the government had imposed a surcharge on oil after a decline in its prices in the international market only to make money.
Speaking on the occasion, Naveed Qamar said it that is an important debate and the three concerned ministers, from the Finance, Petroleum and Water and Power sectors, should be present in the House. He criticised the increase in tax on petrol from 17 % to 27 %, and said that it should not have been imposed, and if the government wanted to make the increase, it should have been discussed in the Parliament.
MQM MNA Muzammal Qureshi said that petrol shortage caused many problems for people in different cities, especially in Punjab and the Federal Capital. He also asked that the benefit of lower prices be passed onto the masses, while transporters who are not conforming to directives and lowering fares should be taken to task.
