Prime Minister Imran Khan rejected a proposal to increase petroleum prices up to Rs14 per litre for February.

ISLAMABAD: Federal government on Monday decided to keep the ex-depot prices of petroleum products unchanged and adjusted the hike in global oil prices in price differential claims of oil refineries and unchanged petroleum levy rate for first half of February.

The Government of Pakistan has decided not to increase the prices of petroleum products for the first 15 days of February 2021.

Taking to Twitter, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill confirmed the news.

"The prime minister did not approve the summary of increasing petrol price by Rs11 and diesel by Rs14," wrote Gill. 

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) had proposed an increase of Rs11 per litre in petrol price and Rs14 in HSD price.

The OGRA had worked out the recommended prices based at current rate of PL on petrol, which is Rs17.62 per litre and Pl rate on HSD is Rs17.14 per litre, Pl rate on Kerosene oil (SKO) is Rs9.86 per litre and Rs7.66 per lire Pl is charged at light diesel oil (LDO).

The move, he said, aimed at not to pass on the burden of growing inflation in the international market on the general public. Earlier, energy experts had estimated full impact of raise of oil globally would increase the ex-refinery price of petrol by 5.03 percent or Rs5.85 per litre, the price of HSD by 9.49 percent or Rs10.72 per litre, the price of Kerosene Oil (SKO) would increase by 10.09 percent or Rs10.03 per litre, and the rate of light diesel oil (LDO) by 8.65 percent or Rs9.17 per litre.."