Minister for Energy Muhammad Hammad Azhar said that the government had increased the prices of petroleum (POL) products in compulsion due to upward fluctuation of fuel rates in the international market. “Increasing the prices of petroleum products is a difficult decision. The price surge in Pakistan is considerably less as compared to the world market,” he said in a statement issued late Thursday night. The minister said that enhancing the prices was a difficult decision for the government, but “its reason is the rising prices of the world market.” Hammad said that the government was gradually reducing the tax rate on petroleum products, adding “even today, oil prices in Pakistan are lower as compared to most countries.”