October 4, 2005	Tuesday	Sha’aban 29, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 3: Opposition parties have planned to hold a strong protest in the forthcoming sessions of the National Assembly and Senate over the unprecedented increase in the prices of petroleum products, sources told Dawn on Monday.

The sources said opposition leaders belonging to the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal had started holding meetings to finalize the strategy for the next sessions of the National Assembly and Senate, commencing from Friday.

They said the opposition senators had also decided to wear black arm-bands as a mark of protest on the opening day of the requisitioned session of the Senate. Besides, the opposition parties have also decided to stage token walkouts from both the houses. The sources claimed that the opposition was also considering boycotting a full day proceedings of the National Assembly.

They said complete boycott could not be observed in the Senate as its session had been convened by the opposition itself.

Meanwhile, ARD parliamentary secretary Izhar Amrohvi told Dawn that 10 members of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) had submitted an adjournment motion to the National Assembly Secretariat to discuss the increase in oil prices.

The motion has been signed by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Syed Nayyar Bokhari, Naheed Khan, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Syed Naveed Qamar, Syed Khurshid Shah and Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed of the PPP and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Khwaja Saad Rafiq of the PML-N.

The motion states: “The prices of petroleum products have been increased exorbitantly with effect from October 1. Public circles have strongly reacted to the price rise as they cannot meet their home budgets in the backdrop of increase in the prices of petroleum products. The increased amount has come up as a petrol bomb on the public. The matter is very serious as the price rise will also bring a negative impact on the prices of essential items, especially in the holy month of Ramazan.”

Meanwhile, five PPP members have submitted a calling attention notice to the National Assembly on the issue of “increase in the traffic accidents on national highways. The notice has been submitted has been signed by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Naheed Khan, Nayyar Bokhari and Syed Naveed Qamar.

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