Opposition bashes govt over recent hike in petroleum prices in Senate
PPP staged a walkout from the House saying they wanted to get the answer from the finance minister
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The opposition parties including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) bashed the government over recent hike in petroleum prices in the Senate.
During the ongoing session of the Upper House of the Parliament with chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in chair, the opposition criticized on petroleum prices hike and they staged protest on standing their seats.
Leader of Opposition in Senate Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said that the price of petrol has gone up twice in a month and even before that the price of petrol has gone up many times. He said that the rising petrol prices was badly affecting the poor segment of the country.
Leader of the House Dr Shahzad Waseem said that the government had increased the prices of petroleum products in extreme compulsion due to the upward trend in the international market. He said the whole world, even oil producing countries, were facing the problem of increased prices of crude oil, being sold at around $ 80 per barrel in the world market.
Dr Shahzad further said that the government was gradually reducing levy and sales tax on petroleum (POL) products to provide relief to the common man.
PPP Senator Raza Rabbani said that Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin came to the House but he did not have the courage to speak about rising inflation. He said that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also didn’t take the House into confidence on Afghanistan.
Senator Sherry Rehman said that the real tsunami is that there is no plan to save the people, adding that the government should have mercy on the people, the government has no plan except to take loans from the IMF and Saudi Arabia.
Speaking in the Senate, Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin reassured the provision of sufficient funds for the fair conduct of next census in the country.
He said federal government has fixed five billion rupees during current fiscal year for next general census while more amounts will be provided in the coming budget.
Tarin said provinces will also provide their due share for this purpose.
Later, the Pakistan Peoples Party staged a walkout from the House saying they wanted to get the answer from Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin.
