May 4, 2006	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 5, 1427

Sukkur May 3: President Sukkur Chamber of Commerce and Industry Khalid Mehmood Khan has strongly criticised the recent increase in prices of petroleum products and has termed it a severe blow to the people who are already burdened with an all round price increase.

According to a statement issued here on Wednesday, he told a meeting of the executive committee that on one hand the government was claiming adopting measures to control the price hike, and on the other it was raising prices of the petroleum products constantly.

He said that the constant rise in the POL prices was having an adverse affect over country’s exports, while prices of the daily-use commodities and transport fares had also risen making life of the poor people miserable.

Mr Mahmood said that with the increase in petroleum prices, industries would be affected badly, while it would also add to the unemployment. He demanded of the government to withdraw the increase in the petroleum prices and disallow all proposals to increase the gas prices.