ISLAMABAD, Oct 19: Mohammed Siddiq-ul-Farooque, spokesman of Pakistan Muslim League(N), has strongly criticized the fresh price hike in petroleum products, saying that the decision once again has exposed the military government’s claim of improving the economic health of the country and alleviating poverty.

In a statement issued here on Friday, the PML(N) spokesman said that 2.5 to 5.32 per cent increase in POL products with the highest increase of Rs1.22 in the price of high-speed diesel was bound to cause huge rise in transport fares and the prices of industrial products.

He said the slight reduction in POL prices during the previous two fortnights was a mere gimmick to create a favourable impact on voters.

He said the imported economic managers of the regime have never been able to realize that entire economic activity of the country depended on availability of cheap energy products.

The argument that the adjustment of POL prices was linked with the international oil market was untenable, because any reduction in oil prices in the world markets was never passed on by the military regime to the consumers in Pakistan, he added.

The PML spokesman demanded reduction of taxes on all POL products, and the surcharge on kerosene oil and high-speed diesel should be reduced to minimum because high cost of these two products directly affected the poor people.