Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front (PIAF) has criticised the government for making massive increase in petroleum prices in one-go and termed it a very bad news for the country's economy which was already facing a number of challenges.
The PIAF Chairman Sohail Lashari in a statement termed it an anti-industry and anti-masses decision and said that the government did not bother to pass on the benefit of decrease of oil prices in international market and earned billion rupees, which was a sheer injustice and now made a huge raise in the petroleum prices.
He said that PIAF had for the last many months been calling on the government circles concerned to take measures for the promotion of alternate fuels as trade deficit was fast widening due to heavy imports under the head of petroleum products. He said that the timeline for the increase in the prices of petroleum products was also raising questions. He said that at a time when the whole industry was suffering due to energy crisis and high cost of doing business, the raise in POL prices is bound to give a further blow to the industry. He demanded of the government remove the carbon tax right now otherwise industry would be collapsed within no time.