ISLAMABAD, May 17: The Pakistan People’s Party has condemned the 17.02 per cent increase in the price of diesel and the 4.63 per cent rise in the price of petrol and other petroleum-related products.

Acting secretary-general of the party, Mian Raza Rabbani, in a statement said that only yesterday the electricity tariff had been increased by 12 per cent and a petition had been admitted by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority for a public hearing to further increase the charges by 88 paisa per unit for all types of consumers. Apparently the nation is now having to pay for huge costs incurred on the referendum, stated Rabbani.

He said the increase in the price of diesel would effect the common man the most as it will directly effect the fares of public transport and also the agricultural sector. As a consequence prices of kitchen items would also register an increase.

The most important aspect of the increase in rates of electricity and petroleum products is that the ministers and officials concerned with the said decision are liable for prosecution under section 9 of the NAB Ordinance, for wilfully causing loss to the public exchequer.

In the case of the electricity tariff, Nepra had approved an increase of 4.5 paisa per unit under fuel-based automatic adjustment. The Notification of the same was withheld due to the referendum. This was a deliberate act to gain political advantage for the regime at the cost of the national exchequer, hence the NAB Ordinance comes into play.

In the case of petroleum prices the OCAC met on March 31, April 15 and April 30, 2002, to review the prices but did not increase them when it had been reported that globally petroleum prices had increased.

It is interesting this relief to the common man was given only during the referendum while immediately afterwards, the prices have been increased. This again has been done to further a political objective at the cost of the national exchequer, he said, adding that the nation now waits to see how the National Accountability Bureau would act.