Daily Changes in Petroleum Prices Are Agonizing: Mian Rehan Maqbool

Senior Vice President of Pakistan Awami Tehreek, Mian Rehan Maqbool, has criticized the government's policy of revising petroleum prices on a daily basis, calling it "absurd" and saying the system has become a source of hardship for Pakistan's low-income citizens.

He said reports are emerging from remote areas, far from provincial capitals, that petrol pump owners are exploiting consumers financially under the cover of this pricing mechanism. "What kind of system is this, where the price is one thing before going to bed and something entirely different after waking up?" he asked.

Mian Rehan Maqbool remarked that if the government believes daily price adjustments are such an effective system, then salaries should also be revised daily in line with inflation.

He further stated that a rickshaw driver or a motorcyclist goes to a petrol station with a fixed amount of money in their pocket, only to discover that fuel prices have increased by the time they arrive.

"Governments are supposed to formulate policies that protect their people from emergencies and economic hardship," he said. "In Pakistan, however, it seems policies are designed to trap the public instead. Simply shifting every burden onto the people with closed eyes cannot be called good governance."