Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the House in Senate, Azam Nazir Tarar on Friday urged the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to avoid point scoring on increased prices of petroleum products and electricity and suggest a way forward as a ruined economy was not the issue of any political party.

Speaking on an adjournment motion moved in Senate to discuss the increased prices of petroleum and electricity, he said that the country badly needed unity as the economy was not the issue of only one political party. The PTI government had left the country on the verge of default, besides ruining the economy, he added. He blamed PTI for high inflation in the country and urged them to show political maturity by avoiding chaos in the country.

He said the complex issues could not be tackled in just 55 days of the government. The PTI had left debt traps and the government was bound to honour commitments made by PTI to the IMF. Government has no resources to continue Rs 112 billion per annum subsidy on petroleum products’ prices. However the poor were being given target subsidies to save them from the impacts of inflation, he expressed.

PML-Q’s Kamal Ali Agha criticized increase in prices of petroleum products terming it unprecedented in the country’s history. He appreciated PTI government for allocating Rs 466 billion subsidy in the prices of petroleum products.

Shaukat Tarin said that the former government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had provided Rs 466 billion subsidies to the people on petroleum prices by resisting International Monetary Fund (IMF). He claimed the profit margin of oil refineries has been increased from Rs 14 (in April) to Rs 70 per liter. Hyperinflation was about to hit the people which would crush the poor.

Leader of the Opposition in Senate, Dr Shahzad Waseem asked the treasury members to announce that they would not receive free petrol from the government exchequer.

Mushtaq Ahmed urged the government to stop providing free petrol to government functionaries and introduce austerity measures to save money.