Minister’s Unusual Logic: Cheap Petroleum Will Stop People From Changing Their Lifestyle

Islamabad — Federal Minister Ali Parvez Malik has stirred controversy with an unusual statement, claiming that keeping petroleum prices low would discourage people from changing their lifestyle, thereby hindering energy conservation efforts in the country.
Speaking to media, the minister warned that the situation in Iran has engulfed the entire region, and Pakistan must prepare itself for increasingly challenging circumstances ahead.
“We need to brace ourselves for a difficult situation,” Malik said, hinting at possible energy price hikes in the near future under the pretext of regional instability and economic pressures.
The statement has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders and the general public alike, who argue that further burdening ordinary citizens with rising fuel prices — amid already record inflation — is both unjust and economically counterproductive.
Critics have labeled the minister’s reasoning as “anti-public logic”, questioning why the government continues to justify price hikes on the backs of ordinary Pakistanis while failing to curtail its own expenditures.