Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Monday criticised the recent increase in petroleum prices and accused the government of suppressing the opposition’s voice in parliament.
Addressing a press conference in the media gallery of the Parliament House, PTI members of the National Assembly held banners protesting the hike in petrol prices.
Barrister Gohar said that during the past two years of the current parliament, the party’s mandate had been “stolen” and opposition members were not allowed to effectively raise their voices in the house.
He claimed that whenever PTI lawmakers attempted to speak on public issues, their microphones were muted. “Today, at the beginning of the third parliamentary year, when I asked for the floor to speak on inflation, the session was adjourned,” he said, adding that opposition members and other parliamentarians protested the move.
The PTI chairman said his party had attempted to strengthen parliamentary proceedings so that public issues could be discussed within the house.
Criticising the recent fuel price increase, he alleged that the government’s decision was aimed at concealing administrative mismanagement. Referring to the rules of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), he said regulations require that at least 20 days of petroleum stock be maintained.
He claimed that the prices determined on February 28 were applicable until March 15, and therefore increasing prices before that period was “illegal”.
Barrister Gohar also alleged that the price increase benefited oil marketing companies and placed additional burden on the public. He said a significant portion of the population was already living below the poverty line and imposing further financial pressure was unfair.
He demanded that the government withdraw the recent increase in petroleum product prices.
