KP CM aide terms petroleum levy as ‘assault’ on provincial rights
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa finance adviser Muzzammil Aslam has criticized the federal government's petroleum development levy, calling it an assault on provincial rights. He argues that the levy is being used as a revenue-generating tool rather than for its intended infrastructure purposes, placing a financial burden on citizens.
Why it matters
This reflects ongoing fiscal tensions between Pakistan's federal government and its provinces regarding tax revenue and economic policy.
Adviser to the chief minister on finance Muzzammil Aslam addresses a press conference along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shafi Jan on July 16, 2026. — @ShafiJanPTI/X comments Join our Whatsapp Channel Add Dawn as a trusted source PESHAWAR: Adviser to the chief minister on finance Muzzammil Aslam on Thursday said that petroleum development levy was an assault on provincial rights.
Addressing a news conference here, Mr Aslam said that the PDL was originally introduced to finance petroleum infrastructure projects but was being used as a revenue-generating tool.
He said that during the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf founder Imran Khan, the levy stood at Rs20 per litre, whereas the present government had increased it to Rs80 per litre within three years.
The aide to CM said during the Iran-US tensions, the levy was further raised to Rs115 per litre.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in