Pakistan, April 3 -- Prime Minister's Adviser Rana Sanaullah said on Friday that petrol and diesel price hikes result from the Middle East war. He added that the Pakistani government "has nothing to do with it," affecting motorists, farmers, and transporters nationwide. Sanaullah stressed that global oil shocks forced the unprecedented 43% and 55% increases in petrol and high-speed diesel.

Sanaullah explained that the government had absorbed the burden for three weeks, spending Rs129 billion to protect citizens. However, soaring global prices made a partial subsidy necessary. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved targeted relief measures, including Rs100 for motorcyclists and Rs1,500 per acre for farmers ahead of the harvesting season....