ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on Thursday demanded the federal government to withdraw its decision of hiking the prices of petroleum products, saying the government should not stanch people’s rights of living.
On Wednesday, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led federal government revised prices of petroleum products for March 2018, according to which, now petrol would be available for Rs 88.07, Hi-speed diesel for Rs 98.45, kerosene oil for Rs 76.46 and light diesel oil for Rs 65.30.
“We reject increase in prices of petroleum products. This will cause inflation,” the Opposition Leader and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stalwart said in a statement today.
Khursheed Shah said instead of expanding the tax net and increasing the tax collection, the PML-N government believed in victimizing the masses.
“We reject this victimization,” the PPP leader said, adding the way the government was running the system, it would further widen the gap between rich and poor.
The Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also strongly condemned the government’s decision of increasing the prices of petroleum products.
** پی پی پی چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کی پئٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں اضافے کی شدید مذمت
** ایک بار پھر نوازلیگی حکومت بے نقاب ہوگئی، عوام دشمن چہرا سامنے آگیا: بلاول بھٹو
** عوام کو عزیز رکھنے والی کوئی جمہوری حکومتیں ایسے قدم نہیں اٹھاتیں: بلاول بھٹو
— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) February 28, 2018
Separately, the Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan also said in a tweet “Again government chooses to target masses by adding to their burden of taxes with latest Petroleum products price hike. Shameful how government refuses to collect taxes from the powerful and allow Nawaz Sharif and others of their ilk to continue draining national resources through money laundering.”
حکومت نے تیل کی قیمتوں میں تازہ ترین اضافے کے ذریعے عوام پر ٹیکسوں کا بوجھ بڑھانے کی ایک اور کوشش کی ہے۔ کتنے شرم کا مقام ہے کہ حکومت طاقتور طبقے سے تو ٹیکس لے نہیں رہی الٹا شریفوں اور اس قماش کے دوسرے لوگوں کو منی لانڈرنگ کے ذریعے قومی وسائل لوٹنے کی کھلی چھوٹ دیے ہوئے ہے۔
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 1, 2018