ISLAMABAD – Pakistani government kept petrol and diesel prices unchanged for the first half of April 2023 despite a drop in rates in the global market. The announcement surprised many as people were expecting a decline of around Rs14.31 per litre.
On Friday, the country’s finance minister Ishaq Dar said his ministry has decided to keep petroleum products stable after consultations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, despite getting the recommendation of increasing the price of petrol and diesel from the regulatory authorities.
A day after the official announcement, a circular started doing rounds on Twitter, showing an exorbitant rise in petrol and other fuel prices. It shows that the government soared petrol price to Rs292 and High-Speed Diesel to Rs311.
As the fake picture got the air on social media, several anti-government accounts and trolls started bombardment at the Sharif-led government, for raising petrol prices amid back-breaking inflation.
To clear the air, the official Twitter handle of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting shared a tweet, confirming that a fake press release is circulating on social media. The actual press release is attached, it said.
Fake Press Release is circulating on Social Media. Actual press release is attached. pic.twitter.com/h8o2EdPHPj
— Fact Checker MoIB (@FactCheckerMoIB) April 1, 2023
