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ISLAMABAD:
The proceedings in both houses of parliament got off to a stormy Friday when the opposition protested violently against the rise in fuel prices and staged a strike.
Opposition members condemned the government’s decision to raise fuel prices and called for an immediate withdrawal. The opposition surrounded the speaker’s podium with posters and chanted anti-government slogans.
The chaos began and took on bitter tones after the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Khawaja Asif, launched a strong protest against Deputy Spokesman Qasim Suri’s refusal to allow the opposition to overstep the increase Talking about fuel prices.
During Question Time, Khawaja Asif pointed out that no minister from the financial banks was present to answer questions.
The PML-N leader later announced that his party would boycott the meeting and said there was no point in putting up with the opposition being barred from speaking. He regretted the continued lack of quorum and said the house was being “ridiculed” by the ruling party.
“There is no point in sitting in the house if we are not allowed to speak,” he said angrily, staging a strike in which most opposition members followed suit.
Shazia Marri of the Pakistani People’s Party reprimanded the government and asked when the “gang that bombards people with gasoline price increases every month will be arrested?”
The deputy spokeswoman turned off her microphone and had to interrupt the session without doing major business.
The government on Thursday raised the price of gasoline by 4 rupees per liter and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by 2 rupees per liter. The prices of kerosene oil and light diesel oil (LDO) increased by 7.05 rupees and 8.82 rupees per liter, respectively. “Price bomb”
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Meanwhile, in the Senate, too, the opposition parties hit the federal government.
Senator Raza Rabbani said people would be bombarded with spikes in gasoline prices twice in 15 days, adding that the current price is “the highest gasoline price in Pakistan’s history”.
In response to the criticism, House Chairman Shahzad Waseem made it clear that the government has only allowed a small increase in gasoline prices compared to the rates proposed by the Oil and Gas Authority. He said that even the oil producing countries are witnessing an increase in oil prices.
Dr. Shahzad noted that the government was gradually lowering the levy and sales tax on petroleum products (POL) to ease the burden on the common man and said the government had increased the prices of petroleum products under “extreme coercion due to the upward trend in the international market” ” .
“The government has always gone to great lengths to pass the minimal effects of the rise in oil prices on to the common man by bearing the maximal effect, while rejecting OGRA advice of a substantial increase,” he said.
The opposition leader hit back opposition members, claiming that the opposition had exaggerated the matter for mere “political scoring” and advised them to “play in the stands and play inappropriate criticism of the government”.
He took the view that the opposition should take the legislative business of the House of Representatives seriously and actively participate in the proceedings of the House of Representatives rather than resorting to hectic rush.
He assured that all ministers were present in the house to answer questions about foreign policy or financial issues in the country.
He claimed that prices would be revised downwards once the situation in the international market stabilized
The Pakistani People’s Party later staged a strike from the House of Representatives and said it wanted the answer from Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin.
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