ISLAMABAD, May 1: Leaders of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy on Monday criticised the government for increasing the prices of petroleum products and decided to protest over the decision in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

ARD parliamentary secretary Izhar Amrohvi told Dawn that 12 opposition MNAs had signed an adjournment motion which would be submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat on Tuesday morning seeking a debate on the issue.

He said the motion had been signed by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Tehmina Daultana, Sherry Rehman, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, Qamaruz Zaman Kaira, Syed Naveed Qamar, Nayyar Bokhari, Ghulam Murtaza Satti and Syed Khurshid Shah.

Mr Amrohvi said the opposition would lodge a strong protest over the decision during the assembly session; however, the mode of protest would be finalised in a meeting before the session.

Meanwhile, jailed ARD president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in a statement termed the decision of the government to increase the oil prices a “gift” to the nation on the Labour Day.

Mr Hashmi, who is also the acting president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), claimed the Musharraf regime had increased the oil prices 50 times during the last over six years.

The ARD leader alleged that the government had increased oil prices to meet the expenses of the country’s largest cabinet. He said due to the wrong economic policies of the government the people were ready to take to the streets.

ARD secretary-general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra in a separate statement condemned the increase in oil prices and said the government had thrown petrol bomb on the people of Pakistan for 22 times in the last one year.

Mr Jhagra, who is also the secretary general of the PML-N, claimed that there had been 400 to 600 per cent hike in the prices of daily-use items in the past six years. He said over 45 per cent of the total population of the country was living below the poverty line.

People’s Party Parliamentarians MNA Naheed Khan in her statement said “the military regime was involved in loot and plunder by increasing the petroleum prices and making the lives of citizens miserable.