KARACHI, Feb 11: Black sheep in the provincial and city administrations are behind 'artificial' price-hike of milk to create market for the multinationals selling packaged milk, charged speakers of a rally against increasing milk prices here on Sunday.

The rally organised by Pasban Pakistan marched from Aath Chowk Lyari to Milk Mandi in Lea Market. They raised slogans against the provincial and city governments and demanded reduction in milk prices.

Pasban Karachi president Syed Ashraf Hussain, Abdul Hakim Quaid, Abdul Rab Motiwala, Afzal Ahmed, Surhab Gul, Akram Agirya, Sardar Zulfiqar, Umaid Qazi, Malik Arshad, Shaukat Khan and others spoke.

They said that non-issues were being created to divert attention of masses from burning issues like poverty and inflation. They said that prices of almost all commodities were being raised, while wages of salaried class remained the same.

The speakers said that almost every business sector was being handed over to the profit-hungry multinational companies and the new target was our domestic milk industry.

They charged that substandard packaged milk devoid of required nutrients was being sold at higher prices.

They regretted that the multinationals were fleecing consumers, as the government was looking the other way. —PPI