PESHAWAR: Expressing serious concern over the unprecedented hike in electricity and petroleum products’ prices, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa senior minister and deputy chief of Jamaat-e-Islami(JI) Sirajul Haq Thursday announced to launch a three-day countrywide protest campaign against the federal government decision.
“Some 6000 big and small protests would be staged in all the major cities, towns and villages of the country,” he told a press conference here.
Flanked by provincial general secretary of the party Shabbir Ahmad Khan and district president Bahrullah Khan, the JI leader said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had completed 100 days in the government but no step could be taken to provide relief to the masses.
“The federal government instead of providing any relief to the people is following the agenda of World Bank and International Monitory Fund (IMF). The prices of daily items, especially electricity and petroleum products have been increased beyond the capacity of the people,” he maintained.
He said in the first 100 days of the PML-N government, the prices of petroleum products were increased from Rs 100.5 to Rs 113.5 per liter, CNG from Rs 84 to Rs 73 per kg and the electricity tariff was also enhanced manifold.
Similarly, flour was available at Rs 36 per kg before the take over of PML-N government. “Now it is available at Rs 46, LPG prices has swelled to Rs 150 from Rs 103 per kg, the prices of rice has reached to Rs 145 from Rs 110, pulses to Rs 120 from Rs 115, bean from Rs 120 to Rs 140,” he said.
More over the tax on Rs 100 load in mobile phone was Rs 17, which has now increased to Rs 25, he added. Sirajul Haq said Nawaz Sharif took over the federal government on June 6, 2013, but during the first 100 days of his rule he failed to fulfill any of the promises that he had made with the people.
Instead of providing relief to the people, he owned anti-people policies due to which the prices of daily items went up to unbearable extent, forcing the people to take to streets. He was of the opinion that the one percent increase in general sales tax had badly affected consumers and manufacturing sector. Similarly, the frequent devaluation of rupee against US dollar has left serious impact on the industrial sector.
Sirajul Haq welcomed the appeal made by the religious scholars to the government and militants for a ceasefire. He, however, added that the Nawaz government also did not show any seriousness to implement the decisions of All Parties Conference.
