News
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Allies, opp reject POL price hike* PML-N, MQM, PPP-S, JUI-F, ANP stage walkout from NA, Senate
* Dr Asim Hussain says prices increased due to upward trend in international market
By Tanveer Ahmed and Ijaz Kakakhel
ISLAMABAD: Many lawmakers from the government and opposition benches in both houses of parliament expressed anguish and ire over the recent increase in petroleum prices and staged walkouts in protest.
The session of the National Assembly, which was convened to take up the 20th Constitutional Amendment, turned into a protesting show when the members from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party-Sherpao (PPP-Sherpao) staged a walkout.
The other coalition partners of the PPP government - PML-Q and Awami National Party (ANP) - also protested the petroleum price hike, however, they refrained from walking out from the session.
The parties in the House, except the PPP, unanimously demanded the government reverse the price increase as it would break the back of the common man, who had already been burdened under financial miseries.
Taking the floor on a point of order, Ahsan Iqbal of the PML-N dubbed the hike in petroleum prices as the worst precedent in the era of a democratic government. He opined that the crisis was result of bad governance and mismanagement.
He called upon the allies of the government to rise against this anti-people act of the government if they were true representatives of the people, and move a resolution in the assembly for reversal of this increase.
At the start of the session, the MQM staged a token walkout and on behalf of the party, Wasim Akhtar termed the hike unjust and demanded the government take back its decision.
ANP’s Bushra Gohar urged the government to review its decision viz-a-viz this increase and suggested that a House committee should be formed to look into this matter. Talib Nakai of the PML-Q, who is also chairman of the House’s Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources, said that the government had dropped the petrol bomb on people and said that the committee, in its meeting on Wednesday, evolved a consensus that the decision should be taken back.
Meanwhile, the Senate on Wednesday adopted various adjournment motions against the increase in POL, LPG and gas prices, while senators from MQM, PML-N, ANP and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) staged walkout in protest.
Senators, including Prof Khurshid, Professor Ibrahim, Haji Adeel, Zahid Khan Abdul Nabi Bangash, Raja Zafarul Haq, Ishaq Dar and Ismail Buledi separately presented their adjournment motions against increase in prices of petroleum products and LPG.
Soon after presenting the motion, MQM Senator Col (r) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi termed the increase in POL prices unjustifiable, and walked out from the House, saying Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain presented wrong figures in the Senate. Later, senators from ANP, JI, JUI-F, PML-N and independent members also staged walk out from the House.
Earlier, Prof Khurshid informed the House that at the beginning of new year, the government had gifted the nation with an increase in prices of POL and LPG.
Dr Asim Hussain opposed the adjournment motions with a view that cost of petrol and diesel was not in the hands of the government. He said that the POL price determination formula already existed with OGRA on the monthly basis. The minister said that the dollar-rupees disparity was also responsible for increase in the prices. He said the oil prices had been increased due to upward trends at international level and it directly affected the oil prices in Pakistan. At the government level, he said that there were General Sales Tax and Petroleum Development Levy and both were elated to the Ministry of Finance. If the government wanted to decrease the value of GST or PDL, then it had to create fiscal space from somewhere else, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar said the government should not make it (POL prices) as a source of earning. He asked the House that the minister should provide break up of oil prices, rate of GST and PDL.
Later, all opposition and ruling parties, including the ANP senators walked out from House and the chairman later adjourned the House for today (Thursday).
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk