LAHORE:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday criticized the government over the latest rise in oil prices, denouncing it as “economic terrorism”.
The party also announced a boycott of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, demanded a judicial inquiry into the alleged wheat shortage and called for the immediate release and medical treatment of jailed party founder Imran Khan and other political prisoners.
It alleged that while reductions in international oil prices were never passed on to consumers, even minor increases were reflected domestically within 48 hours along with additional taxes.
PTI claimed that during Imran Khan’s tenure, petrol remained at Rs 150 per liter despite the “world’s worst crude oil supercycle”.
He also criticized those who previously demanded petrol at Rs 70 per liter, claiming that they were now justifying prices higher than Rs 300 and even Rs 400. The party accused the government of shifting the burden of economic hardship onto the public while shielding itself from the consequences of its policies.
Referring to a recent tragedy in Hasilpur, PTI alleged that a family, crushed by poverty and unable to pay rent or an electricity bill of Rs 17,500, poisoned their two young children before taking their own lives.
He said children had cried for milk that their parents could not afford to buy and alleged that the government bore direct responsibility for creating conditions that led citizens to such desperation.
The PTI also criticized the government’s handling of the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that the authorities were trying to turn the region into “a replica of occupied Kashmir” by deploying 4,000 Frontier Corps personnel and Rangers and imposing a month-long communications blackout to suppress a peaceful movement.
The party said the Awami Joint Action Committee’s demands for affordable electricity and flour were legitimate.
He warned that any election held under such circumstances would amount to “a prearranged selection, not a democracy.”
The PTI demanded the immediate lifting of restrictions, reaffirmed its support for the people of Kashmir and announced that it would not participate in the elections, maintaining its decision to boycott the AJK elections.
Third wheat crisis
PTI further alleged that despite claims of a bumper wheat crop, the government had engineered another artificial wheat crisis – the third during its tenure – by creating a shortage of over 3.5 million tonnes while planning to import another two million tonnes.
The party claimed that reports indicated that 4.5 million tonnes of wheat had gone missing from the Punjab government warehouses. He said flour prices had risen to between Rs 130 and Rs 150 per kilogram, compared to Rs 65 and Rs 70 during the PTI government, while farmers had been devastated by rising input costs.
PTI demanded a judicial probe into the allegedly missing wheat stocks and a forensic audit of wheat import decisions.
Condemning the recent terror attacks in Balochistan, the PTI paid tribute to the martyred security personnel but argued that relying solely on military measures had failed in the last five decades.
The party proposed a six-point roadmap comprising intelligence-driven operations, addressing public grievances, dialogue with constitutional nationalists, distinguishing between those who respect the Constitution and those who do not, equitable utilization of provincial resources for local development and an inclusive political process involving all stakeholders.
