What happened: On Jan 31, Prime Minister Imran Khan rejected a statement suggesting a price hike in petroleum to “protect the people of Pakistan from inflation.” Details: For the first 15 days of February, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority requested the federal government to raise petrol prices by Rs11 and diesel prices by Rs14. However, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication, Dr Shahbaz Gill, stated on his Twitter handle that the government did not authorise this proposal. While “oil prices were rising due to escalating inflation all over the world,” the SAPM claimed in a tweet that the government sought to safeguard the people against inflation. “As a result,” he added, “the prime minister has deferred this summary.” Why it matters: It’s worth noting that the government’s decision not to raise fuel prices comes at a time when it’s being chastised for failing to keep inflation under control as the opposition decided to stage anti-government protests in response to the public’s discontent with recurrent price hikes and persistent inflation.