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The federal government on Saturday hiked the petrol price by Rs3.72 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs3.29 per litre for the next fortnight.

The new petrol price is Rs252.1 while that of HSD is Rs258.43.

Meanwhile, the prices of kerosene oil and light-diesel oil were slashed to Rs164.98 and Rs151.73 with cuts of Rs0.62 and Rs0.48, respectively.

A notification issued by the Finance Division said: “Ogra has worked out the consumer prices of petroleum products as per variation in the oil price in the international market. It has accordingly been decided that the prices of petroleum products for next fortnight starting from Dec 1, 2024, would be slightly revised.”

The prices were estimated to remain mostly unchanged for the next fortnight owing to a negligible change in international prices and a minor gain in the exchange rate.

Informed sources had said the average prices of petrol and HSD had slightly increased in the international market in the last fortnight. Import premium on both petrol and diesel remained unchanged. The exchange rate moved slightly in favour of the rupee.

As a result, the latest calculations as of Nov 28 showed around Rs3 per litre increase in the prices of petrol, HSD and kerosene, despite a slight decline seen in international prices for the last two days of the month.

Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers and has a direct bearing on the budget of middle- and lower-middle class.

On the other hand, most of the transport sector runs on HSD. Its price is considered inflationary as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube wells and threshers, and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.

At present, the government is charging about Rs76 per litre tax on both petrol and HSD. Although the general sales tax is zero on all petroleum products, the government is charging a Rs60 per litre petrol development levy on both petrol and HSD that normally impact the masses.

The government is also charging about Rs16 per litre customs duty on petrol and HSD, irrespective of their local production or imports. In addition, about Rs17 per litre distribution and sale margins are going to oil companies and their dealers.

On the other hand, it is charging Rs50 per litre on light diesel and high octane blending component and 95RON petrol used by the wealthy in luxury imported vehicles.

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/8oOCR1V

The Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has said PTI founder and ex-prime minister Imran Khan was “guilty” in a case related to the May 9 riots, it emerged on Saturday.

Following the arrest of the ex-premier on May 9, 2023, from the Islamabad High Court’s premises, riots erupted across the country and went on for at least 24 hours.

The state subsequently launched a crackdown against him and his party, filing several other cases against Imran since the events of May 9, in many of which he has been acquitted.

The ATC on Wednesday had dismissed Imran’s petitions seeking post-arrest bail in eight May 9 cases, including an attack on the corps commander’s residence.

ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill had reserved a verdict after hearing the final arguments of the lawyers for the petitioner and the prosecution, which he announced later in the evening.

In a written order issued today, available with Dawn.com, for one of the petitions regarding a case registered at the Mughalpura Police Station about an attack on a police official’s vehicle, Judge Ali Gill observed: “It is not an ordinary case of abet ment, instigation or conspiracy.”

He said that as per the case record, Imran was alleged to have plotted a “conspiracy” at his Zaman Park residence with other party leaders for the public and party workers to “attack upon the state machinery as well as military installation throughout Pakistan and also attack upon police officials, jam the state machinery by overawe the law enforcement agencies.

“Same directions and instigation was complied with not only by the other senior leadership but also the general worker and supporters.”

The order said the statements of prosecution witnesses were available on the record regarding the allegation of conspiracy and “the prosecution has also other audio-visual evidence to prove the instigation, abetment of the petitioner and the commission of offence by other leadership and workers.”

The order said that Imran’s role in the conspiracy was also discussed in detail by the Lahore High Court while deciding the post-arrest bail of PTI leader Ejaz Chaudhary.

It added that the offences fell within the prohibitory clause of Section 497 (when bail may be taken in ease of non-bailable offence) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Section 497 gives the right to apply bail on the ground of statutory delay provided that delay in the trial has not been occasioned by an act or omission of the accused or any other person acting on his behalf.

“Petitioner was found guilty. It is also in the mind of this court that the petitioner is not an ordinary man. He is chairman of PTI and his directions and communication carries weight to the workers, other senior leaders, voters and supporters. None from the other leadership of PTI even think about to deny or reject the directions and command of the petitioner being chairman/founder of the party.

“As per police the incident in hand as well as dozens of other like nature episodes took place on the same day. In all the such like incidents only the army installations, government institutions and police officials were under attacks by the protestors. No independent or private property was damaged or attacked,” the order reads.

The judge said he found no merit in Imran’s bail petition and dismissed it.

Imran’s lawyer Salman Safdar told Dawn.com that the legal team would approach the high court next for bail.

The post-arrest bail petitions were filed after the Lahore High Court on July 25 quashed Imran’s physical remand in 12 cases.

ATC-III Judge Arshad Javed on Nov 8 granted post-arrest bail to Imran in four cases, including burning the PML-N office in Model Town, a container near Kalma Chowk, police vehicles in Gulberg, and violence at Sherpao Bridge during the May 9 riots.

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