Govt Defends Fuel Price Freeze Decision Amid Severe Backlash

Minister Rejects Allegations of Favouring or Burdening Any Sector in Fuel Pricing Decision

Hamid Khan Wazir

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has defended its decision to keep petrol and diesel prices unchanged, rejecting allegations that it is favouring any particular sector while ignoring consumers' concerns.

In a post on the social media platform X, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said on Saturday that the government was committed to ensuring fairness and was not placing an unnecessary burden on any segment of society. The remarks came a day after authorities announced that petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) prices would remain unchanged at Rs299.50 and Rs311.47 per litre, respectively.

Sharing recent trends in global oil prices, the minister noted that international crude prices had fluctuated during the past week. He maintained that the government remained committed to passing on benefits to consumers whenever circumstances and international obligations allowed.

According to the table of international oil prices over the past week, the Petroleum Minister shared, petrol prices ranged between $90.36 and $98.35 per barrel during June 22-26, while HSD traded between $104.79 and $109.09 per barrel.

“The government is neither giving preference to any sector nor imposing any undue burden on the other,” he said.

Malik also highlighted the government's broader record on fuel pricing, saying that under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's tenure, petrol and diesel prices had seen substantial reductions compared to previous peak levels.

However, the decision to keep fuel prices unchanged has triggered criticism from politicians, analysts and opposition leaders, who argue that falling global oil prices should have translated into relief for consumers.

Several critics questioned why domestic fuel prices remain close to Rs300 per litre despite international markets easing to pre-conflict levels. Opposition figures accused the government of failing to transfer the benefits of lower global prices to the public.

Religious and political leaders also expressed disappointment, describing the decision as a sign of the government's disconnect from the financial pressures facing ordinary citizens.

“Despite international oil prices at the pre-war level, in Pakistan petrol price still remains Rs 300 per litre. Why not pass the benefit to people?” asked former Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair.

PTI’s Haleem Adil Sheikh said that fuel prices had “fallen across much of the world”.

“Yet Pakistan’s government has once again refused to pass any relief on to the public. After previously hiking fuel prices by Rs137/litre on stock purchased at much lower rates — handing massive windfall profits to oil marketing companies and petrol pumps—it has repeated the same act. The people pay, while the corrupt protect vested interests,” he said.

The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) criticised the government’s decision to not reduce petrol prices, saying that it showed the “government’s indifference”.

JUI spokesperson Aslam Ghauri said, “The decision to keep petroleum product prices unchanged for a week is tyrannical.”

He said that petrol prices have fallen below pre-war levels in the international market, adding that the government had protected the interests of petrol companies during price hikes and continued to do so. “The Iranian people haven’t suffered as much damage due to the war as the Pakistani people have endured,” he said.

Journalists and commentators similarly argued that the latest pricing decision benefits industry stakeholders while leaving consumers without the expected relief, reigniting debate over Pakistan's fuel pricing policy.

“Oil companies, oil tanker owners, big dealers have won. The public has lost,” said journalist Zahid Gishkori about the decision to keep prices unchanged.