Opposition defers protest over oil price hike.

ISLAMABAD -- In a surprise move, the opposition on Saturday not only deferred its plan to lodge a 'strong protest' in the National Assembly over the sudden and unprecedented increase in the oil prices, but also facilitated the government in the smooth approval of the demands for grants for all the ministries by not pressing for votes, thus paving the way for the final passage of the federal budget for the year 2020-21 on Monday (tomorrow).

Almost all the speakers from the opposition benches while moving their cut motions on four ministries harshly criticised the government over the increase in the oil prices, but they refrained from staging a walkout or holding a protest inside the parliament despite the fact the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had announced before start of the sitting that the party would hold a strong protest inside the assembly on the directives of party president Shahbaz Sharif.

Minutes before the conclusion of nearly nine-hour-long proceedings, PML-N leader and former deputy speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi declared that the opposition had made a plan to stage a strong protest inside the assembly on Saturday, but it had deferred it till Monday (tomorrow). 'The opposition had decided to hold a protest today. Now we will lodge a strong protest the day after tomorrow (Monday) if the government does not withdraw the increase in the price by then,' Mr Abbasi announced without mentioning reason for changing the decision.

Govt faces criticism also from treasury benches as minister claims fuel price in Pakistan is still lowest in South Asia

However, the government received sharp criticism on the decision to increase the oil prices not just from the opposition but also from three lawmakers sitting on the treasury benches namely Raja Riaz of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Salahuddin and Kishwar Zehra of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which is a part of the ruling coalition.

Speaking on a point of order, MQM lawmaker from Hyderabad Salahuddin termed the decision 'anti-people' and asked the government to immediately withdraw the hike in oil prices. He said the government decision showed that oil marketing companies (OMCs) had also become a 'mafia' in the country, regretting that people could not get benefit of the recent decrease in the oil prices due to petrol shortage created by the companies but the government provided billions of rupees benefit to the OMCs.

The legislator of the PTI ally...