Cut in oil prices: Passing on no benefit to masses regretful: Altaf Shakoor

KARACHI, March 16 (SABAH): The world oil prices witnessed a big cut but our rulers didn’t pass on its benefit to the Pakistani masses, which is highly regretful, said Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor on Sunday.

Altaf Shakoor said when the world oil prices rise, the local oil prices are increased immediately by the government, but when these prices come down, the rulers instead of passing on their benefit to people decide to keep them unchanged. He said this a great economic exploitation of our masses by their own government. He said no one takes care of the rights of Pakistani consumers and oil marketing companies and the government jointly lootes them.

Altaf Shakoor said not only the oil mafia but also sugar mafia loot Pakistanis mercilessly. He said sugar millers were allowed to export sugar on guarantee that the local prices would not be increased, but the sugar millers and traders increased the prices of sugar sharply in the holy month of Ramzan to extort billions of rupees from the Pakistani consumers. He said this act of exploitation was silently supported and backed by our rulers and opposition, who own dozens of sugar mills.

He said sugar mafia people sit in assemblies and though belonging to different main political parties in Pakistan in both government and opposition they are united with one another when it is the matter of exploitation of consumers.

He said oil and sugar mafias are big and powerful cartels and nobody dares to take action against them under the competition and anti-cartel laws. He said the government and oil and mafias have once again proved that they have no regard to the law  as well as consumer rights. He said the role of the federal government in both sugar and oil scams is just shameful.

Altaf Shakoor demanded to decrease oil prices immediately by at least Rs15 per liter. He asked to register FIRs against sugar millers and traders to send them to jail for breach of their commitment on sugar prices.