Staff Report
PESHAWAR: Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Science & Information Technology, Dr. Shafqat Ayaz, has condemned the recent surge in petroleum prices, declaring it a deliberate act of economic cruelty by what he called a Form-47-imposed federal government.
“This is not governance, it’s collective punishment. In just six weeks, petrol prices have been increased four times — with nearly Rs. 30 per litre added despite falling prices in the international market,” Dr. Ayaz stated during a press interaction in Peshawar.
He emphasized that fuel price hikes translate directly into price shocks for every household affecting transport, food, medicines, education, and everyday survival. “Petrol has become a political weapon to crush the people,” he remarked.
Dr. Ayaz questioned the selective morality of the ruling alliance: “When petrol was Rs. 150 under Imran Khan, they took to the streets. Today, the Form-47 government has shattered all records, yet their hypocrisy is deafening.”
He also criticized sections of the media for what he termed as “criminal silence”:
“Inflation has strangled the average citizen, but many major media outlets remain quiet. Are the cries of the people not newsworthy anymore?”
Dr. Ayaz accused the federal government of abandoning governance in pursuit of political vengeance. “Their only goal is to keep Imran Khan behind bars through bogus cases, while the public drowns in price hikes, unemployment, and despair.”
He reminded the nation of the contrast under PTI:
“During Imran Khan’s tenure, there was dignity, affordability, and employment despite global challenges. Today, people stand in ration lines while a Form-47 government clings to power, deaf to the people’s suffering.”
Dr. Ayaz concluded:
“This regime was never elected it was selected. But the people have awoken. Insha’Allah, very soon, Imran Khan will return to power with the people’s mandate and build a prosperous, just, and self-reliant Pakistan once again.
