Wednesday's notification by the Finance Division about the Rs5 rise in price of petrol owed the increase "to the fluctuations in petroleum prices in the international market and exchange rate variation".

The notificiation also reported an increase in other petroleum products from September 16.

As reported by Business Recorder, the new price of petrol is Rs123.30 per litre, which was Rs118.30 per litre or a 4.2 percent increase.

Cost of supply of Pakistan State Oil has increased to Rs95.41 litre from Rs94.38 per litre, it said.

People turned to Twitter to say how this will impact their lives.

Some said the decision was destructive.

Others said it was a sign of misguided policies.

Some used the opportunity to remind the prime minister of his words in the past about petrol price hikes.

And others used it as an opportunity to predict how this move will impact PTI in the next elections.

Many expressed concern about the state of the economy in general.

PTI supporters offered some perspective about the price hike -- but it didn't go down well.

Information minister Fawad Chaudhry's tweet on Thursday morning, saying that the petrol prices were lower than the rest of the region, didn't sit well either.