ISLAMABAD: The main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), has rejected the recent increase in petrol and high-speed diesel prices announced by the government, terming it an anti-people and oppressive decision.

PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram, while talking to Dawn, said that the ruling elite used to claim that whenever the prices of petroleum products were increased, the prime minister should be considered a thief.

“However, now the prices of petroleum products are being continuously increased by the same party. It is not that the prices are rising in the international market. The fact is that the government has been increasing taxes to narrow the budget deficit. It is nothing but proof that the government’s economic policies have failed,” he said.

Sheikh Waqas urged the government to decrease petroleum prices and reduce its unnecessary expenditures.

In a statement, PTI said, “The hike of Rs19.39 per litre in high-speed diesel and Rs6.51 per litre in petrol clearly reflects the complete failure of the current government, which is now shifting the burden of its incompetence directly onto the poor. The sharp increase in diesel prices will trigger a new wave of inflation, as it directly impacts transportation, agriculture, and the cost of essential food items.”

Farmers are already on the brink of collapse, and this decision is tantamount to breaking their backs, it said.

“The increase in petroleum prices is, in fact, an admission of the government’s failed economic policies. On one hand, the public is already struggling with inflation, high electricity bills, and unemployment, while on the other, the government continues to impose further financial burdens. The ruling elite is squeezing the lifeblood out of the people to sustain its luxuries and corruption. Under the pretext of IMF conditions, prices are being raised repeatedly, effectively suffocating the public,” it added.

The party said during the tenure of Imran Khan, despite global price hikes, relief was provided to the public through subsidies, and the economy was kept stable.

Today, the country is facing severe inflation, currency devaluation and economic decline, it added.

“We demand that the government immediately withdraw the increase in petroleum prices and provide relief to the people. Otherwise, the government will bear full responsibility for any public reaction,” the party stated.

In another development, PTI strongly condemned the completion of 1,000 days of incarceration of its founding chairman Imran Khan, describing it as a blatant act of political victimisation, devoid of constitutional and legal justification.

The party demanded his immediate release. In a strongly worded statement on Friday, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram expressed deep concern over the completion of 1,000 days in jail.

He said that Imran Khan is a national leader who was elected by the people with a clear mandate, yet he had become a victim of a fractured system where justice, the rule of law, and fundamental human rights were being systematically undermined.

He further emphasised that the incumbent rulers were fearful of the PTI founder’s popularity and independent stance on national sovereignty, and that he was being subjected to political victimisation in an attempt to sideline him.

Waqas stated that inhumane treatment was being meted out to PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. He said that Imran Khan was being held in solitary confinement, while his family, lawyers, and party leadership were being denied regular visitation rights, which constituted a clear violation of fundamental human and legal rights.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2026