TOBA TEK SINGH -  Increase in prices of petroleum products has been condemned by various political leaders on Thursday.

Former minister Haji Ishaq described it as a gift of the government to the workers and poor people at the end of the completion of its five year tenure.

He said that the increase had proved complete financial mismanagement on the part of the present regime. It had broken the backbone of the common men, who were already groaning under unemployment, poverty and  price hike, he said.

PTI central vice president Ashfaq said it seemed that the government wanted to suck the last drop of blood of the poor. He said the farmers were already facing great loss in the agriculture due to hike in the prices of inputs. The current raise in diesel will result in forcing them to do some other work abandoning the cultivation as it will be impossible for them to purchase so high-price diesel for their tractors and tube wells, he said.

Irrigation Employees Power Union leader Allah Bakhsh Sial termed the increase in oil prices a cruel joke with the poor employees. He said it would cause further raise in the prices of essential commodities, disturbing the already constrained budget of poor labourers and salaried class people.