The price of petrol reached a new record as it touched Rs 145.82 following the government’s announcement to raise the price by Rs8.03 on Nov 5. Pakistani Twitterati took to the social media platform with reactions varying from shock and anger to humor at the desperate conditions.
Hashtags like #ReliefPackage and #petroldieselpricehike along with #Takleefpackage have been trending in the country.
Pakistani users did what they do best and used humor to cope with the distressing news. One user wrote about the increase in petrol price and posted a cartoon image showing four men on a bike claiming that they would rather pay the fine for pillion riding (double sawari) than fill petrol in all four bikes.
Another user photoshopped Prime Minister Imran Khan’s face on a Bollywood character’s body. The character displays a paralyzed patient who is unable to move, feel or say anything much like how people feel PM Imran is incapable of feeling empathy for the people or doing anything for them.
Apart from humor, Twitter users have expressed concern and anger over the policy. The current chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto tweeted the chronology in which the PTI government ended up increasing the prices yet again. He ended the post by stating that his party has protested the move in the National Assembly as well as the Senate.
On the other hand, Muzzammil Aslam spokesperson to the Finance Minister posted the old prices alongside the revised prices of petroleum products in Pakistan while explaining that the government has not passed on the entire burden of rising prices on the common man instead it has levied only a portion of it. His post was retweeted by the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting.
Despite the outrage expressed by most Pakistanis, some users were seen trying to explain the government’s decision by highlighting that the petrol prices are still the lowest amongst all countries that are importing oil.
All in all, regardless of how the Twitter users respond to the price hike, there is no denying that the move has added an unbearable burden on most citizens of the country who are already struggling with food inflation and the aftermath of the pandemic.
