ISLAMABAD: Mian Raza Rabbani, former Chairman Senate and senior leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has said that IMF dictated budget passed by the National Assembly is not a week old and new taxes in the shape of increase in petroleum and electricity prices has taken place.
On the 1st July, 2021, prices of petroleum products was increased, he said in a statement, adding this was done on the dictation of the IMF. As a consequence there will be a snow balling effect and the prices of vegetables, bus, rickshaw and other fares will hit the sky.
Yesterday the per unit cost of electricity has been increased by over Rs 2.97, a increase of Rs 3, when the common is already under the yoke of a unprecedented price hike, Raza Rabbani stated.
The common man is being made to pay Bills of electricity which are more than half his salary, while the Government dances to the tune of the IMF, he said, adding with increased electricity tariff the industry is shutting down.
In Karachi, he said, due to load shedding the industry has been closed. Pakistani industry will not be able to compete in the international market with such high cost of production. As industry will close labor will be retrenched. This will cause a grave crisis that will destabilize the social fibber of society.
The common man is already facing massive load shedding as temperatures cross 40 degrees, PPP leader said.
Now he is being made to pay huge tariffs for electricity which he does not get, Rabbani said and asked where are the bravado’s of the Government during the Budget that it will not accept the IMF targets?
This Government has made Pakistan bater its financial sovereignty. It is a anti poor but pro crony capitalist Government, he concluded.
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