KARACHI, May 17: Leaders belonging to a number of political parties as well as transport bodies have expressed grave concern over the unprecedented rise in POL prices, terming it as totally unjustified since there has been no increase in petroleum prices in the international market.
Secretary General, Pakistan People’s Party, Mian Raza Rabbani, on Friday, condemned the 17.02 per cent increase in the price of diesel, 4.63pc rise in the price of petrol and other POL products.
“The increase in POL prices will have a snow-balling effect on the price index. The government has already forced a new post- referendum mini-budget on the common man this way,” he said in a statement.
“It was only yesterday that the electricity tariff was increased by 12pc, and now a petition has been admitted be NEPRA for public hearing to further increase the charge by 88 paisas per unit, for all types of consumers,” he stated.
He said that in the case of the electricity tariff, NEPRA had approved an increase of 4.5 paisa per unit under the fuel-based automatic adjustment and the notification of the same was withheld due to the presidential referendum. “This was a deliberate act to gain political advantage for the regime at the cost of the national exchequer,” he stated.
PPP(SB): The chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party (SB) and chief of the Pakistan National Conference, Ghinwa Bhutto, also expressed deep concern over the increase in petrol and diesel prices, and urged the government to immediately review its decision.
In a statement issued here on Thursday, Ghinwa Bhutto said that the increase in POL prices and electricity charges would hit the already financially-crushed masses hard.
PTI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has severely criticized the increase in electricity and petrol charges and said that the common man will not be able to afford the use of power any longer.
“The government appears to be following in the footsteps of its predecessors by introducing mini-budgets before the National Budget expected next month,” said the PTI Secretary General, Mairaj Mohammed Khan.
The government will now target fixed salary earners, professionals and executives through increasingly high taxes, he predicted.
TRANSPORTERS: The chairman of Karachi Transport Federation, Saleem Khan Bangash, in a joint statement, have also strongly reacted against the increase.
They have also demanded immediate disbanding of the OCAC for always adopting anti-people policies.
They said that President Pervez Musharraf had promised in his speeches on the referendum to eradicate poverty from the country. “He should abide by his promises, otherwise the people would lose all confidence in him,” they urged.
Meanwhile, the National Transport Ittehad has also strongly reacted against the increase in POL prices.
It contended that there had been no upward revision in the prices of petroleum products in the world market.
A meeting of the NTI has been convened on May 18, to chalk out future line of action of the transporters’ community.—PPI/APP