Siraj slates gas price raise, demands its withdrawal

ISLAMABAD: The Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami, Senator Sirajul Haq, has said that the masses could not be fed by trumpeting democracy and added that the rulers were adding to the miseries of the people by increasing prices.

Talking to different delegations at the residence of JI deputy chief, Mian Muhammad Aslam, on Monday he said that the government had failed to fulfill its election promises of controlling price spiral and corruption, and it was eliminating the poor instead of eliminating poverty.

Sirajul Haq said that an additional burden of Rs27 billion was being placed on the consumers to supply gas to the areas of the ruling party legislators. He termed it an anti-people decision. 

He said it was unfortunate that there was none to raise voice against such a major decision.  He demanded immediate withdrawal of the gas price increase. The JI chief said that the policies prepared under the directives of the World Bank and the IMF could not serve national interests. 

He said that the government considered the welfare of the ministers and advisors as the welfare of the masses, but it was mistaken.  He said that the 36 percent raise in gas prices would lead to a storm of price increase.

Sirajul Haq said that the common man was unable to pay the utilities bills and was even denied basic facilities of health, education for children and a home.  On the other hand, the governing elite was leading a luxurious life. He said that the country did not have any system of accountability. 

He said that if the plunder of over four trillion from the public exchequer was stopped a qualitative change could be brought about to the life of the general public, and their basic requirements could be met adequately.

Besides, he said that according to the Federal Finance Minister a huge sum of 200 billion dollars owned by the Pakistanis was lying in banks abroad.  If even a small portion of this wealth was retrieved, the fate of the nation could be ameliorated.