LAHORE: (Web Desk) – A miscellaneous application has been filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging the federal government’s recent reduction of Rs22 per litre in petroleum prices and the accompanying changes in petroleum levy rates.
The petition was submitted by lawyer Muhammad Azhar Siddique on behalf of the Judicial Activism Panel. It argues that a related case regarding increases in petroleum levies is already pending before the court.
According to the petitioner, while the government announced a reduction in fuel prices, it simultaneously increased the petroleum development levy on High-Speed Diesel (HSD), creating an imbalance that adversely affects consumers.
The application states that the government recently raised the petroleum development levy on diesel by Rs10.93 per litre despite the decline in international oil prices.
PM Shehbaz Announces Rs22 Cut in Petrol, Diesel Prices
Siddique contended that reducing levies on petrol while increasing them on diesel amounts to economic exploitation of the public, particularly affecting transport and logistics sectors that rely heavily on diesel.
The petition further argues that the benefits of lower global oil prices have not been fully passed on to consumers in Pakistan and calls for a more transparent mechanism for determining domestic petroleum prices.
The petitioner requested the court to direct the government to immediately reduce the petroleum development levy on both petrol and diesel and establish a transparent pricing formula.
The application also seeks an order restraining the government from making any further adjustments to fuel prices until the matter is decided by the court.
The Lahore High Court is expected to take up the petition for consideration in the coming days.
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