ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/KARACHI - Denouncing the recent ‘price bomb’ dropped on the masses by PML-N government and terming it an economic murder of the poor, leaders of the political parties said on Tuesday that people could rise up against the unprecedented price hike and start a civil disobedience movement.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Tuesday strongly condemned the latest 'price bomb' dropped on the people of Pakistan by the PML-N government.
Imran said the middle class consumers have been hit the hardest with the latest raise. The increases in prices that is continuing, is criminal because it is not just making the citizens pay for the cost of electricity but also the cost of corruption and incompetence, he added.
Therefore this latest increase in electricity and fuel prices is yet another step in anti-poor and anti-middle class policies of the PML-N government. Khan pointed out that the first such discriminatory step was taken in the budget in which GST and other indirect taxes were increased, besides previous round of oil and electricity price increases, the forced devaluation of the rupee and the unprecedented note printing in the first three months of this government.
Khan asserted that instead of cracking down on power theft, recovering the bills of defaulters, increasing the tax net by recovering dues from tax evaders and taking measures to make use of the changed international laws to recover the illegitimate wealth stashed abroad by Pakistanis, the government just keeps on taking anti-people measures one after another to make the lives of the people miserable.
Khan said PTI demands that this criminal and unjustifiable increase in electricity prices is reversed with immediate effect. "We also demand that the government should explain to the nation why fuel prices have been increased when the international prices of oil declined during the month of September which has led neighbouring India to reduce petrol prices?" Khan questioned.
Khan also asked why the government is not prepared to cut its lavish lifestyle, huge mansions and frivolous expenditures.
Khan declared that PTI rejects these price hikes and will protest in the assemblies and across the country. The government has become anti-people and has betrayed the mandate given to it by the Pakistani nation.
Punjab Opposition leader, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed while demanding immediate withdrawal of hike in electricity and POL prices PTI would stage protest against this unjustified increase inside and outside the assemblies and would not let the rulers to transfer the burden of their policies on the masses.
Meanwhile, PTI will hold protest demo against the increase in front of Lahore Press Club on Wednesday (today), besides holding similar protests across the province.
Criticizing the sharp increase in petroleum prices and power tariff, MQM’s members of National Assembly, Asif Hasnain and Muzammil Quraishi, have termed it an `economic murder’ of the poor people.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the MQM legislators said the increase was not less than a bomb blast.
They said prices of all daily use items will go up with the increase in petroleum prices whereas factories and industries will face imminent closure in the wake of sharp increase in tariffs, thereby creating more unemployment in the country.
Describing the increase in petroleum prices and power tariffs `as double-edged sword’, the Muttahida MNAs said that the people of the country, who are already leading their life below the poverty line, will be the worst sufferers in the wake of unusual price hike and it will amount to snatching their right to live. They said the MQM had already submitted an adjournment motion against the hike in petroleum prices and power tariffs in the National Assembly and matter would be discussed in the next session.  PML-Q top leadership said Tuesday that the masses will not be able to pay the bills of electricity after the fresh tariff increase and soon return to the medieval times by using the lanterns,.  They while condemning increase in the tariff of electricity and POL prices demanded its immediate withdrawal.
PML-Q President, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Punjab President, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said government’s unwise decision had put everybody in wonder, as the oil prices were decreased in the international market but rulers increased the prices.  They said that due to decrease in the oil prices in the international market India and the US had decreased the prices of POL products.
Jamaat-e-Islami chief Syed Munawwar Hassan denounced the sharp increase in electricity and POL prices, terming it something unacceptable.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, he said the so frequent raises in POL and electricity prices have earned hatred for the rulers.
The JI chief said the fresh raise would cause a flood of price hike and the poor masses would be virtually buried alive. He said if this raise was not withdrawn, the masses could start civil disobedience.
He said the popularity of the PML-N government had come down to zero within first four months of its rule and if it did not provide any relief to the people, its days would be numbered.
The PML-N government has not proved itself any better than the Zardari-led regime and it seemed the present rulers learnt no lesson from their past mistakes, the JI chief remarked.