The Great Deception
The Fuel Price Fraud: A Story Full of Holes
How Two Prime Ministers Tell Different Stories About the Same Oil
The current government wants you to believe they saved you from huge fuel price hikes. They say they rejected a plan to raise petrol by Rs. 95 and diesel by Rs. 205. They even claim that if they had said yes, petrol would now cost Rs. 790 and diesel Rs. 544. They want you to think they are your protectors.
But the numbers do not add up. During Imran Khan’s time as prime minister, the global price of oil was actually higher than it is today. Yet, back then, petrol was sold for around Rs. 150 per liter. Today, the government buys oil at a cheaper international price but sells it for much more than Rs. 150. So how is this a favor?
The speech given to the current prime minister had basic math mistakes. The truth is simple: you are being told one story, but the facts show something completely different.
The Business of the Establishment: Always Winning
How Military-Linked Companies Never Lose Money
There is a strange pattern in Pakistan. When it comes to protecting the country’s land, there have been many failures. Pakistan lost East Pakistan, which became Bangladesh. Territory in the north is under Indian control. But when it comes to business, the military’s organizations never seem to fail.
Think about the Defense Housing Authority (DHA). Think about fertilizer companies, banks, schools, road construction, and even mobile phone networks. The military has its hand in all of them. And every single one of these businesses makes money. Not one runs at a loss.
Take the recent purchase of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) by Arif Habib. A normal businessman would worry about rising costs. But in Pakistan, there is an understanding that the military’s foundations—like the Army Welfare Trust—will step in if needed. They will find a way to fix the deal. This shows that while the country struggles, the institutions that should serve the people are busy running profitable businesses that never face failure.
The Bigger Picture: Tensions Rising Between Iran and America
A Dangerous Game with No Easy Exit
While Pakistan deals with its own problems, the region around it is on fire. There is a growing conflict between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other.
Recently, there was a major attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Ten American soldiers were badly hurt. Iran says this was one of many strikes it has carried out. Meanwhile, inside the United States, there is blame being thrown around. Some American leaders say that Israel’s prime minister, Netanyahu, gave false hope about changing Iran’s government. They say he pushed the US into a situation that is now hard to get out of.
What is most worrying is how this war is being fought. It is no longer just about military targets. Schools, hospitals, water plants, and factories are being hit. Iran says that in less than a month, over 600 schools have been destroyed, and more than a thousand students and teachers have been killed. This is not normal war. This is an attempt to break an entire country.
Iran is also fighting back. It has identified six steel factories in Gulf countries—places like Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia—as possible targets. Iran has even warned local people to stay away from those areas. The Houthis in Yemen have also said that if the fighting does not stop, they will attack ships in the Red Sea, which is a key route for global trade.
Some countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt are trying to bring peace. But Iran is not sitting at the table. Instead, Iran is focused on building strong ties with Russia, China, and Central Asian countries. It is preparing for a long fight. Iran knows that even if it does well on the battlefield, it could still lose at the negotiation table. That is what it is trying to avoid.