POL price hike draws public ire

ANP, MQM, JI unite against fuel price increase

Staff Reporter / Agencies

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejected the hike in prices of petroleum products Saturday and presented adjournment motions in the Senate and the National Assembly, television reports said. An adjournment motion was presented by the ANP, the government’s coalition partner. The motion said that the measure would burden the people, and called on the government to review its decision.

According to one report, the PML-N also tabled an adjournment motion against the petroleum price hike. The PML-N’s motion stated that the government led by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which chants slogans of providing the people with bread, cloth and shelter, was depriving people from their right to live.
The motion also called for a debate on the matter in the parliament.

Meanwhile, the increase in prices of petroleum products has drawn stern reaction from people who see it as another factor to cause price hike in coming days.
People said that the government was not caring enough for the problems of common man. They said instead of increasing petroleum prices, the government should have cut its own expenditure through austerity.
They added that people across the world were celebrating New Year while in Pakistan the government, by increasing the POL prices, has added the miseries of common man.
People of Karachi termed the hike in petroleum prices as economic murder. They demanded of the government to withdraw the decision of price hike or raise the salaries.
In their reaction, the people of Lahore said that it seemed that they would against commute on bicycle, adding that instead of providing relief to the masses, their problems were being increased.
People in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad also expressed concern over surge in petroleum prices as they are already suffering from huge prices of the basic commodities of daily life.
“This surge in POL price is another bomb shell for the commoners who are already living hand to mouth due to high inflation”, said Aasia who is a primary teacher in a government school. Thousands of passengers travel daily between Rawalpindi and Islamabad by public transport and now this surge in POL prices will affect them a lot.
In Peshawar, Quetta and other cities people strongly condemned the fresh POL price hike, while transporters have convened emergency meetings in this regard.

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