04 July 2004	Sunday	15 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

LAHORE, July 3: The Nazaria Pakistan Forum has criticized the government for its miserable failure to control the prices of essential commodities.

Forum chairman Dr Syed Asif Saeed Kirmani said on Saturday in a statement that Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz claimed to have managed an economic turnover but his policies had failed to provide relief to the common run of people due to marked increase in cost of living during his tenure.

He said that the economic policies of the present government had made the poor poorer and the rich richer and had been instrumental in increase in unemployment, inflation and lawlessness because the welfare of general public was not on the government agenda.

He said that the government should review its policies aimed at increasing the wealth of the rich at the cost of the welfare of the masses. The survival of Pakistan depended on solution to the problems of the people and ensuring social justice by providing equal opportunities to all the citizens.