Islamabad [Pakistan], December 31 (ANI): Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday said that prices of petrol and diesel will not be changed heading into 2023, Dawn reported.
The Finance Minister also said in a televised address that the price of kerosene oil and light diesel will also remain the same.
The report quoted the minister as saying that the price of diesel will remain at the existing price of Rs 227.80 per litre, petrol at Rs 214.80 per litre, kerosene oil at Rs171.83 per litre and light diesel oil at Rs169.00 per litre.
The minister said that following a rise in the prices of petroleum products in the international market, the Oil and Regulatory Gas Authority (Ogra) had recommended a slight upward revision in the tariff for kerosene and light diesel oil but it was not passed on to people on the directions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
He said the decision was taken after considering that the weather is cold and the poorest people use light diesel oil for tubewells while kerosene is also used by people earning the lowest incomes, according to Dawn.
On December 15, the government cut the price of petrol by Rs10 and diesel by Rs 7.5.
The price of kerosene oil was slashed by Rs10 on Nov 30 while the price of light diesel oil was reduced by Rs7.5 per litre, the report said.
The minister had assured investors earlier this month that "there is no way Pakistan is going to default."
Dar had also criticised "pseudo-intellectuals" for bringing up the possibility of a sovereign default despite the fact that the nation paid up its USD 1 billion Islamic bonds earlier this month. (ANI)