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KARACHI, May 1: Yet another upward revision in the prices of petroleum products has generated resentment among political parties and general public.
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority on Sunday announced new rates of POL for the fortnight effective May 1. The rate of kerosene oil has been increased from Rs32.87 to Rs35.23 per litre while the price of light diesel oil has been raised to Rs32.57 from Rs30.97 per litre.
President of the PPP, Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah condemning the hike described the move ‘undue’ and said it was bound to overburden the poor class. “The government has continuously been increasing the prices of POL in complete disregard of the hardship and problems being faced by common man, and the inflation and dearness entailed,” he added. The party’s Sindh leadership has demanded an immediate withdrawal of the increase in the prices of all POL products.
Mian Raza Rabbani, PPP’s central deputy secretary, said that the government had again resorted to whipping the poor people. He said that the government’s ‘anti-people’ policies had been causing a constant increase in the prices of all commodities, including the essential items. The poor class now finds it very difficult to survive.
Leaders of Jamaat-i-Islami, strongly condemned the increase in POL prices, saying that the government had provided no relief to masses at all.
"When the POL prices were reduced thrice in the international market, the same were kept high in Pakistan, and whenever the prices go up in the international market, the government shifts the burden on the people without any delay,” said Naib Amir of JI Prof Ghafoor Ahmed and Dr Merajul Huda Siddiqui in a statement issued on Monday.
They said that government claimed a lot about economic prosperity and poverty alleviation in the country, but the fact was that inflation increased remarkably during the tenure of the present government.
"It is an established fact that during the last five years, petrol price have been increased for 45 times while that of the light diesel oil for 42 times,” they said, adding that an increase in the POL prices always resulted in further increase in the prices of all commodities and transportation fares.
They asked the government to reduce the POL prices in order to give some relief to citizens, particularly the downtrodden.
The JI leaders noted that on the one hand, luxury planes were being purchased for the rulers, and on the other, people were being gifted with price-hike, poverty, inflation and unemployment, leaving them with no choice but to commit suicide. “This indicates that the rulers have no sympathy for masses,” they said.
The Site Super Highway Association of Trade and Industry has also criticised increase in the POL prices and the proposed raise in power tariff by 1.32 per unit.
In a statement issued here on Monday, chairman of the association Shahbaz Malik termed the increase in POL prices ‘unjustified and irrational’, maintaining that manufacturing companies, especially those in Karachi, were beset by a number of infrastructural problems and the rising cost of basic utilities.
The cost of power, gas and other utilities has already become so expensive that it has become almost impossible for industries to compete in the international market, according to him.
He warned that if the rates of gas, petroleum and electricity were not controlled, the manufacturing units of export-oriented and value-added products would close down.
Mr Malik urged the government, particularly the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), to review the fresh decision and fix the prices of all basic utilities and petroleum for three or five years.
STRIKE THREATENED: Transporters condemned the recent increase in prices of petroleum products in the country and threatened a country-wide series of strikes if prices were not reduced.
In a joint statement issued here on Monday, Karachi Transport Owners Federation Chairman Malik Ahmed Khan, President Raja Muhammad Rafiq and others urged President Musharraf to intervene into the matter and threatened if the president did not take any step to reduce prices within two days, they would announce country-wide strike call and put the transport system out of gear.
Maintaining that the raise in petroleum products prices would automatically increase rates of daily-use items and inflation in the country, they said that the decision was a negative signal to the poor and the middle-class people. They said that they could not continue their businesses in the prevailing situation and urged government to restore old prices petroleum. They also demanded an increase of one rupee in transport fares in Karachi with an immediate effect.
Meanwhile, Anjuman-i-Ittehad Bus Malikan Karachi asked the provincial government to increase transport fares by one rupee within 15 days, and warned that they would observe wheel-jam strike against the increase in petroleum products price, otherwise.
In a joint statement, Ashraf Banglori, Chaudhry Mazhar Hussain and others said that oil prices were reduced in international market but the government here had not decreased it in the country. However, as the prices increased in international market the government immediately applied it here.
They said it was impossible to ply transport on the present price of petrol and diesel. “We will observe strike if transport fares are not increased and government will be held responsible for this,” they warned.
