PESHAWAR: Opposition parties have rejected the increase in price of petroleum products and urged the government to withdraw its decision, fearing that it will add to miseries of the poor people.
Pakistan People's Party provincial president Muhammad Humayun Khan, Awami National Party provincial spokesperson Samar Haroon Bilour and Qaumi Watan Party provincial president Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao in separate press conferences here on Sunday asked government to withdraw the increase in price of petroleum products immediately.
They said that during a short period of two weeks the two-time increase in fuel was not acceptable to the masses, saying that it was tantamount to eliminate the poor people instead of controlling the poverty in the country.
Besides, they also condemned the holding back of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane in Malaysia over a lease dispute; and said that it was the failure of the government that caused embarrassment to Pakistan at the international level.
Condemning the price hike, Humayun Khan said that during the new year government has increased the price of maximum daily use commodities including petroleum products, sugar, natural gas, power, cooking oil and wheat flour which proved that the rulers were not sincere to improve the living condition of common people rather further worsened the situation.
He said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf always claimed to bring change in the fate of people but it badly failed to fulfil its commitment during its two and a half year tenure rather added to problems of the low income group.
"We reject the frequent increase in daily use of commodities and ask the government to withdraw its decision otherwise masses will come to the streets without invitation by opposition parties," he warned.
Similarly, ANP spokesperson MPA Samar Haroon Bilour said that as result of the faulty government policies the masses would soon face starvation like situation. She said on the one hand ratio of unemployment was increasing and on the other price hike was at its peak which made the lives of the poor people extremely miserable.
The lawmaker said that the frequent increase in price of essential commodities prove that the government had no ability to devise an effective economic policy at least to control the inflation, joblessness and to provide relief to the poverty-hit people.
Meanwhile, QWP provincial Chairman Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao said that the rulers had failed to run the country's affairs and it was following policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which increased poverty in the country.
The QWP provincial chief said that the only way to rid the nation of the incompetent rulers was to support the opposition movement for ousting the government as soon as possible. He said the struggle launched under the banner of the Pakistan Democratic Movement would continue until the ouster of the rulers from power.
Sikandar Sherpao said the PTI government could not honour a single pledge made to the people and thus the nation was not ready to accept Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in power corridors any longer.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021