LHC seeks reply from govt over fuel price hike

 Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday demanded a response from the caretaker administration and others on a petition challenging the increase in petroleum product prices.

Tanveer Sultan, a Justice of the LHC, took up the case contesting the recent increase in the prices of petroleum goods.

The LHC requested a response from the respondents in the fuel hike case following the preliminary hearing.

According to the petition filed against the fuel price increase, fuel costs have been dramatically raised in comparison to the rise in the international market. "The recent fuel price increase would cause further inflation," the petition read.

The petitioner asked the court to declare the recent increase in fuel prices null and illegal because the country lacks a process for determining fuel pricing.

Earlier, Pakistan's caretaker administration raised fuel and gasoline prices to a historic high - more than Rs 330 per litre - amid double-digit inflation in the cash-strapped country.

Following an agreement from interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, the Ministry of Finance approved a price increase for petrol of Rs 26.02 and diesel of Rs 17.34 per litre.

Following the increase, petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) now cost more than Rs 330 at filling stations.