Chairman Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan, while flaying the increase in petroleum products prices, called upon the government to recover billions of rupees, which was written off instead of taxing the poor further.
"Had the government been sincere to the people it would never have reduced the financial deficit by adding to the economic woes of the common man, instead it would have taxed heavily the rich, recovered bank loans worth billion of rupees eaten up by the political elites and transferring to Pakistan their ill-gotten money stacked by them in the foreign banks," the PTI Chief said while addressing party's workers belonging to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa here at party's central secretariat.
He said that the rise in POL prices would multiply the hardships of the common man of the country who is already groaning under poverty directly. He was of the view that the government should have wait till the next budget enabling the Parliament to debate it thoroughly before making a decision, adding that it was not the will of the God that the poor should suffer always.
Terming Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-N two faces of the same coin, the PTI Chief alleged the leadership of the two major political parties for befooling the people of the country by claiming that they have never indulged in political horse trading.
He cited that PML-N, which has encouraged formation of unification bloc of the PML-Q in Punjab Assembly, is the same party, which is well-known for its "Changa Manga" horse-trading in 1988. Likewise, he added that the same practice was encouraged by the PPP government with "midnight jackal" horse-trading episode in 1980s.
Earlier, talking to media persons PTI's women wing President Fauzia Kasuri also strongly criticised the government for increase in petroleum products prices and called upon the government to cut its extra expenditures instead by putting burden on the poor people.
She stated these in response of the recent rise in prices of POL products on the occasion of distribution ceremony of relief rations among poor families. She said that the rulers should avoid their unnecessary foreign visits and cut the extra expenditures rather to make further burden on the poor people of the country.
She also came harsh on federal and Punjab governments for what she alleged that the rulers were busy in their luxuries they have nothing to do with the woes of the common man. She also announced that PTI would distribute relief rations among poor of the federal capital twice a month, adding that the party distributed relief goods of 200 packets worth Rs 150,000 among the poor families hitherto.