ISLAMABAD: Ques-tio-ning how a relief package that amounts to just Rs5 a day for only 20 million people will put a dent in any household’s financial stress, PPP’s Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Senator Sherry Rehman on Saturday reje-cted the latest increase in the prices of petroleum products.
She regretted that days after announcing a so-called relief package, the government dropped a petrol bomb at midnight, imposing yet another hike in petrol prices by a whopping Rs8.14 per litre.
She pointed out that for the third consecutive month, price of petrol has beaten all previous records and is now at Rs145.8 per litre. This is the first time in Pakistan’s history that prices of all pet-roleum products have gone above Rs110 per litre. This has a clear impact on prices of goods across every sector.
Sherry rejects hike in prices of petroleum products
She said due to constant spikes in food inflation, price of cooking oil has gone up by 130 per cent. “Who can cook anymore in Naya Pakistan? With gas tariff going up by 300pc who can afford to use their stoves? It is now just a matter of time before a humanitarian disaster unfolds in Pakistan this winter.”
“The petrol bomb is going to increase prices across all sectors and saying that oil prices in the region have increased is a false response; when PPP was facing double the global oil prices, we managed to keep the domestic petrol prices less than half of what it is now. So that argument holds no water with anyone,” said the senator.
“With 53pc of the population earning up to Rs31,500 per month, it is next to impossible for people to manage against this inflation. Just in three years of this government, prices of chicken have gone up by 60pc while flour price is up by 50pc. This government is forcing people towards poverty and starvation. There is just no way they can afford even one square meal,” she added.
“Chairman Bilawal (Bhutto-Zardari) has seen to it that PPP is leading the protests against inflation in the country; we are out there on the streets, shoulder to shoulder with the vulnerable people of this country, who want relief from this government. It was only after Tabahi Sarkar saw our power that they began to panic and promised relief. But they don’t even have the infrastructure to do so as they are still reliant on our Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), which they have dubbed as Ehsaas programme. You cannot fool people by these tricks,” she added.
Discussing the debt crisis, Ms Rehman said, “We are paying for the most indebted government in the history of Pakistan. The public debt is at Rs39.9 trillion which is 83.5 per cent of the GDP whereas the circular debt stands at Rs2.379 trillion. PPP had comprehensive policies to manage the debt, despite a global financial crisis; whereas PTI has demonstrated missteps after missteps. This government is completely clueless.
“The Pakistani rupee is much weaker than the Bangladesh Taka or Indian rupee, and whose fault is that? The value of a currency is a function of its trade and export volumes. Under the PTI government, export has plummeted. Despite a global recession, at the beginning of PPP’s tenure, exports rose by 44 per cent which is the highest-ever increase recorded in a quarter in the country’s history. We focused on increasing Pakistan’s exports as it was crucial in reducing the trade deficit,” she added.
Ms Rehman said, “While the government is busy bringing ordinances on NAB, they are conveniently silent on the whereabouts of Rs821bn that NAB claims to have recovered.”
Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2021