Petrol price in Pakistan to remain unchanged for first half of May

• PM Shehbaz rejects OGRA's proposal to hike petrol prices.  
• Prices of petroleum products will remain unchanged.
• Decision taken to not burden the consumers, per notification. 

ISLAMABAD: Prices of petroleum products will remain unchanged after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday rejected the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority's (OGRA) proposal for a hike in prices, said a notification issued by the Finance Division. 

According to the notification, the decision was taken to not burden the consumers. 

"Prime Minister Shehbaz directed to maintain the prices of petroleum products at the current level so as not to burden the consumers with the hike in prices," read the notification.

Earlier this week, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, in a statement, had said that the prices of petroleum products will not be increased for the first half of the next month.

Aurangzeb said the "incompetence and serious mistakes" of the last government were the reasons for people's suffering.

"Former prime minister Imran Khan's government had accepted harsh conditions set by the International Monitory Fund related to increasing prices of the petroleum products to secure a loan," Aurangzeb said.

The information minister said the government is making "every possible effort" not to put any further burden on people, who are already facing the brunt of high inflation.

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Miftah Ismail had also earlier this week announced that the price of petroleum products would not be increased "immediately".

Speaking during Geo News programme "Capital Talk", Ismail urged people to stop filling their petrol tanks out of panic as prices will not be increased immediately.