Petrol prices rose by Rs25 in five days; relief must be provided to ordinary citizens instead of making them bear the burden of government luxuries. The reckless use of state resources has pushed Pakistan’s economy to the brink of destruction, said the former federal minister.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 11th Sep, 2026) National Dialogue Committee leader Fawad Chaudhry has said that Maryam Nawaz’s private trip to London on a government aircraft cost Rs62.5 million, and demanded that the receipt for the payment be presented to the public.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad alongside Mehmood Molvi, Fawad Chaudhry said petrol prices had increased by Rs119 since Feb 26.
He said the government had collected Rs1.1 trillion for electricity, paid Rs1.8 trillion in capacity payments, and was paying Rs6 trillion in taxes, capacity payments and other charges.
He said aircraft were now being purchased with taxpayers’ money, in addition to vehicles, and separate aircraft had been acquired for the chief minister and senior minister in Punjab.
He alleged that Maryam Nawaz travelled to London on a government aircraft for a private visit costing Rs62.5 million. Uzma Bukhari says Maryam paid the amount herself, he said, adding that he had asked Bukhari for proof of payment but it would not be provided.
He further said the president and interior minister also travel on official aircraft.
Fawad Chaudhry said petrol prices had risen by Rs25 in five days, while poverty in Punjab had increased by 41 percent.
He said claims that Maryam Nawaz personally paid the approximately Rs62.5 million cost of her London trip should be supported by a receipt. He added that more than 23 percent of Punjab’s population was unable to earn even Rs8,000 a month.
He described Pakistan’s food-security situation as extremely alarming and said governance could not improve without transferring political, administrative and financial powers to the lowest level.
He termed the creation of new provinces a fundamental administrative reform requiring serious debate and practical steps. He said a mechanism for creating new provinces could be devised while preserving identities, and that the governance problem would not be resolved without political, administrative and financial devolution.
Fawad Chaudhry said petrol prices had increased by approximately Rs119 since Jan 26, adding that the government could not cite the middle East situation alone to justify petroleum price increases.
He said higher petrol prices were affecting Pakistan’s industry, agriculture and every sector. Electricity prices had increased by more than 28 percent since February, he said, while the government had announced a further 10 percent increase over the next three months.
“How can the economy function if the price of a commercial electricity unit reaches Rs140?” he asked.
He said the government was placing the burden of taxes on the public and making ordinary people pay for its incompetence.
The government was collecting approximately Rs2 trillion through the petroleum levy and billions of rupees through electricity and gas, he said. Despite Rs1.8 trillion in capacity payments, load-shedding was continuing across Pakistan, while the cost of running the Federal government had reached Rs750 billion.
The former federal minister said unnecessary government expenditure and the tax burden were being shifted onto the public.
Fawad Chaudhry said ordinary people must be given relief instead of being made to bear the cost of government luxuries. He said reckless use of state resources had brought Pakistan’s economy to the brink of destruction, alleging that rulers were using official resources and aircraft even for private trips.
He said genuine devolution was impossible without transferring powers and resources to local governments.
Turning the debate on new provinces into a controversy and prolonging it would harm the reform process, he said, adding that the discussion needed to move towards practical measures.
