KARACHI, March 10: The Pakistan People’s Party has accused the government of fleecing people through brutal price-hike, and said that the latest move in this regard was an increase of 23 paisa per unit in KESC tariff. Widespread complaints of inflated bills are coming from Sui gas consumers in Karachi and rest of the province, according to them.

In a join statement, several central and Sindh-based PPP leaders said that it was strange that the military regime, which was holding the people of Pakistan hostage, was squeezing them economically to the last drop of their blood to run its empire at the cost of their livelihood.

“The largest portion of taxes and levies collected by the regime goes into the pockets of those related or connected to the defence budget, while the situation of poverty, hunger, as well as deprivation of democratic and human rights, continues to become grimmer,” they claimed.

They alleged that the regime was in a habit of strangulating people economically, political and socially, and pushing up the prices of essential commodities and utilities as a weapon to punish people for joining in the struggle for their rights.

They said that the PPP, along with all other democratic forces, would continue its struggle to free the people from the clutches of the dictators and restore their economic and political rights. It would never allow the regime to go scot-free, they added.

The PPP leaders demanded reversal of all hikes in prices of petrol, gas, electricity and the commodity including sugar and wheat flour.