KARACHI, March 21: Deputy Secretary General of the Pakistan People's Party, Mian Raza Rabbani, has slammed the government for horrifying price spiral that had created a lot of difficulties for the oppressed people.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Mian Raza Rabbani also criticized Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali's statement in which he had absolved his government of the responsibility for this state of affairs.

Mr Rabbani deplored that price of atta had jumped from Rs10 per kilogram to Rs20 per kilogram within a few months while the prime minister was saying that there was no atta crisis in the country.

"If there is no such crisis here, why the provincial minister for food and agriculture had held the federal government responsible for that?" he remarked. He said that controlling price spiral, unemployment and lawlessness was the responsibility of the government, but, it was unfortunate that the prime minister was not concerned about them.

"He (Mr Jamali) has exposed his helplessness in these matters also, just like he did in the constitutional matters," Mr Rabbani said. The PPP leader said that on the one hand cost of living had increased manifolds while unemployment was also on the rise.

He said that the government was trying to keep a lid on its incompetence by banning trade union activities. He demanded restoration of trade union activities in PIA and other institutions as enshrined in the International Labour Organization's charter. Mr Rabbani also slated the government for increase in the cases of kidnapping, murder and attack on law enforcement personnel.