PESHAWAR: Pakistan Peoples Party’s provincial leaders here have expressed serious concern over another possible increase in prices of petroleum products and warned to start protest demonstrations against the government if Ogra’s recommendation for hike in fuel prices is approved.

PPP provincial president Mohammad Humayun Khan and Mardan district president Aurangzeb Khan Hoti in separate statements said here on Thursday that the government was repeatedly increasing oil prices since Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf assumed power with no planning to work for poverty alleviation.

Mr Humayun said that PTI had observed 126 days sit-in and paralysed routine life in Islamabad, but it could not tolerate the gathering of PPP workers outside a court who wished to show solidarity with their leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Leaders claim govt has no plan for poverty alleviation

He claimed that PTI had not won the elections, but it had been brought into power. He said that a ‘selected’ government could not understand the problems being faced by the people. He said the PPP workers would come on to the streets in case the government increased oil prices as its ultimate sufferers would be the low income group across the country.

Mr Hoti also condemned the government policies and demanded reduction in oil prices. He said that if oil prices were increased it would cause serious unrest among t people. He said that the rulers were unable to provide any relief to the people.

He condemned the police baton charge and arrest of peaceful workers who had gathered in Islamabad to express solidarity with the leadership. The PPP leader questioned the intentions behind the violence by the federal government on political workers. He described the PTI government as an authoritarian regime that tried to pressurise the peaceful PPP workers to say goodbye to their party.

He said that the use of force against peaceful workers had proved that PTI had nothing to do with democracy. He demanded of the federal government to immediately release the PPP workers.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2019