ISLAMABAD, March 2: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has criticized the government decision to increase gas tariff for various slabs of domestic consumers.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, the PPP acting secretary-general, Mian Raza Rabbani, said the constant increase in diesel prices was having an adverse effect on agricultural economy, which had already been hit by water shortage.

He criticized the decision of the oil companies’ advisory committee to enhance prices of petroleum products.

He said it was a matter of concern that gas tariff had registered an increase of 70 to 130 per cent in three years due to the withdrawal of subsidy.

Mr Rabbani said the increase would push up the cost of production and erode the industry’s competitiveness in the export market.

This would have an effect on the weak industrial units which might be forced to close down, thus making thousands of people jobless.

It appears that the regime is following the agenda of converting Pakistan into a market of foreign goods at the cost of its economy, he said.

“What is even more surprising is the fact that the increase in gas and oil tariffs comes simultaneously with the increase in the salary of President Gen Pervez Musharraf by 13 per cent along with an increase in the pension and other facilities.

PTI: The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) described the increase in gas tariff totally unjustified.

The PTI spokesman in a statement issued here said that the increase would escalate inflation as the cost of production and transportation would further increase.

The gas, he maintained, was a domestic resource which did not involve imports. The logic of international pricing of gas for a population more than half of which was living below poverty line and whose purchasing power had dwindled under successive governments did not make any sense.