PESHAWAR: Leaders of major opposition parties have expressed serious concern over the hike in wheat flour price and power tariff, and said there is no justification for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leadership to remain in power any longer as its government has failed to bring the promised change in the people’s life.

“Whenever consumers raise voice against price hike the ministers speak against politicians and corruption just to divert public attention from their weaknesses,” Pakistan Peoples Party provincial deputy information secretary Gohar Inqilabi said in a statement issued here on Saturday. He said it was duty of the PTI supporters to raise voice as the government had betrayed them in the name of ‘change’.

Mr Inqilabi said since wheat flour was one of the basic essential food items the government should restore its supply from Punjab to bring down its price in the local market.

He said suspension of wheat flour to KP from Punjab was beyond imagination as PTI ruled both the provinces and the centre.

In his statement, Qaumi Watan Party provincial chief Sikandar Hayat Sherpao termed the recent increase in electricity tariff unjustified and said it would create more problems for people.

He said the government was following the dictates of the International Monetary Fund and did not care to mitigate the sufferings of the poor.

Commenting on the prevailing political scenario, he said the rulers were pushing the country to anarchy and uncertainty.

“The economy is on the verge of collapse. The investors are shying away from making investments in the country in the prevailing uncertain situation,” he said.

The QWP leader said the government had failed on all fronts, but it was blaming its failure on the opposition and the previous governments to hide its incompetence.

Sikandar Sherpao also criticised the provincial government for failing to secure the rights of the province from the federal government. He also decried the suspension of wheat flour supply from Punjab to KP and described it complete failure of the government.

Sikandar Sherpao also expressed concern over the acquittal of the police personnel in the Sahiwal incident and said justice could not be provided to the bereaved family.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Ikhtiar Wali Khan told this correspondent that suspension of supply of wheat and wheat flour to KP was a condemnable step, which was an eye-opener for the people who had supported PTI in the elections. He claimed that the opposition was fighting for the rights of the poor.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2019