ISLAMABAD: The opposition lawmakers on Friday disrupted the proceedings of the Senate protesting the massive hike in petroleum products by the government.
The lawmakers raised slogans against the government and protested near the dais of the Chairman who repeatedly warned to suspend the membership of those involved in halting the proceedings of the Upper House.
During the protest of the opposition lawmakers, Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani asked them not to cross the limit otherwise he would have to take action and suspend the membership of those involved in the ruckus.
He also addressed a PTI lawmaker Faisal Javed to ensure decorum of the House otherwise he would take action. The Chairman Senate said that he would follow the suspension issue even in the ECP if the protesting lawmakers did not mend their ways.
Leader of the House Azam Nazeer Tarar said that it was agreed before the proceedings to listen the suggestions from the opposition as per parliamentary traditions but the opposition differently reacted in the House.
He said that lawmakers on the government benches were sitting silent and protest was being made by those who did not have strength to complete quorum and run the proceedings of the House.
Tarar urged the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to avoid point scoring on increased prices of petroleum products and electricity and suggest a way forward as a ruined economy was not the issue of any political party.
He said the PTI government had left the country on the verge of default, besides ruining the economy, he added. He blamed PTI for high inflation in the country and urged them to show political maturity by avoiding chaos in the country.
He said the complex issues could not be tackled in just 55 days of the government. The PTI had left debt traps and the government was bound to honour commitments made by PTI to the IMF.
He said the government has no resources to continue Rs 112 billion per annum subsidy on petroleum products’ prices. However the poor were being given target subsidies to save them from the impacts of inflation, he expressed.
PML-Q’s Kamil Ali Agha criticised the increase in prices of petroleum products terming it unprecedented in the country’s history. He appreciated the PTI government for allocating Rs 466 billion subsidy in the prices of petroleum products.
PTI’s Shaukat Tarin said that the former government had provided subsidies on petroleum prices by resisting IMF pressure. He claimed the profit margin of oil refineries has been increased from Rs 14 in April to Rs 70 per litre. He said hyperinflation was about to hit the people and crush the poor.
Leader of the Opposition Dr Shahzad Waseem asked treasury members to announce that they would not receive free petrol from the government exchequer.
Mushtaq Ahmed urged the government to stop providing free petrol to government functionaries and introduce austerity measures to save money.
