ISLAMABAD: In a surprise move, the opposition on Saturday not only deferred its plan to lodge a “strong protest” in the National Assembly over the sudden and unprecedented increase in the oil prices, but also facilitated the government in the smooth approval of the demands for grants for all the ministries by not pressing for votes, thus paving the way for the final passage of the federal budget for the year 2020-21 on Monday (tomorrow).

Almost all the speakers from the opposition benches while moving their cut motions on four ministries harshly criticised the government over the increase in the oil prices, but they refrained from staging a walkout or holding a protest inside the parliament despite the fact the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had announced before start of the sitting that the party would hold a strong protest inside the assembly on the directives of party president Shahbaz Sharif.

Minutes before the conclusion of nearly nine-hour-long proceedings, PML-N leader and former deputy speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi declared that the opposition had made a plan to stage a strong protest inside the assembly on Saturday, but it had deferred it till Monday (tomorrow). “The opposition had decided to hold a protest today. Now we will lodge a strong protest the day after tomorrow (Monday) if the government does not withdraw the increase in the price by then,” Mr Abbasi announced without mentioning reason for changing the decision.

Govt faces criticism also from treasury benches as minister claims fuel price in Pakistan is still lowest in South Asia

However, the government received sharp criticism on the decision to increase the oil prices not just from the opposition but also from three lawmakers sitting on the treasury benches namely Raja Riaz of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Salahuddin and Kishwar Zehra of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which is a part of the ruling coalition.

Speaking on a point of order, MQM lawmaker from Hyderabad Salahuddin termed the decision “anti-people” and asked the government to immediately withdraw the hike in oil prices. He said the government decision showed that oil marketing companies (OMCs) had also become a “mafia” in the country, regretting that people could not get benefit of the recent decrease in the oil prices due to petrol shortage created by the companies but the government provided billions of rupees benefit to the OMCs.

The legislator of the PTI ally said they were expecting that Prime Minister Imran Khan would fight the mafias in the country, but regretfully it did not happen. He said the opposition was right in saying that the government had dropped a “petrol bomb” on the people already facing poverty, unemployment and price-hike amidst the Covid-19 pandemic time. Mr Salahuddin demanded that the PM give importance to the elected representatives instead of his non-elected advisers.

While moving cut motions on the demands for the ministry of interior earlier in the day, PML-N lawmaker Rana Sanaullah said the OMCs first stored oil after purchasing it at lower prices and later it “blackmailed” the government, forcing it to increase the oil prices. He termed the increase in prices of petroleum a “dacoity” committed by the government.

Opposing the increase in the budgetary allocations for the interior ministry, the PML-N leader questioned the performance of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB). He was of the opinion that it was one of the basic responsibilities of the FIA and the IB to keep an eye on the mafia hoarding oil, but the agencies had been given the task to spy on the opposition.

The PML-N MNA from Faisalabad said the government could not fool the people by merely forming inquiry commissions as they had already seen the outcome of the sugar commission that had failed to bring the prices down. “I am unable to understand, if mafias are in the government or there is a government of mafias,” he remarked.

“This is the government of the mafias, for the mafias and by the mafias,” said another PML-N MNA from Gujranwala Khurram Dastagir Khan, adding that “the mafia won again on Friday night and the government kneeled before it.”

Mr Khan said the government should have deferred the decision for three days and waited for the routine revision of the price on July 1. The urgency in this regard showed that the government’s revenues had plunged, he added.

Criticising the performance of the interior ministry, the PML-N legislator said terrorism was returning to the country. No one was convicted in the Sahiwal incident when members of an innocent family were shot dead by the security personnel in the daylight. He said the security institutions under the interior ministry were being used as a tool to silence media. He termed the PTI government “fascist” saying that the people of Pakistan were feeling suffocated due to its policies.

It seemed the FIA’s only job was to victimise the opposition, remarked Abdul Qadir Patel of the PPP. He said a large number of Pakistanis were deported from other countries for carrying illegal passports or fake visas and they were handed over to the FIA on their return. The FIA should also be asked as to how these people had actually slipped from the country’s airports under its supervision, he said.

PML-N lawmakers Ahsan Iqbal, who had served as the interior minister in the previous government, requested the police and FIA officials not to obey “unconstitutional orders” of the government and focus on their real job.

Giving a policy statement, Minister for Petroleum Omar Ayub Khan informed the National Assembly that despite current increase in the price of petroleum products, the fuel was still cheaper in Pakistan than in subcontinent and South Asia. He said in January, the petrol was Rs116.60 per litre and diesel was Rs127.26 per litre and then it was reduced by Rs42 per litre and diesel by Rs47 per litre on January 1. “Now the petrol was increased by Rs25 per litre, but it was still Rs17 per liter cheaper than it was in January,” he added.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2020