RAWALPINDI - Common people and political parties alike criticised the PPP-led government for the recent hike in the prices of petrol and diesel and demanded immediate withdrawal of the hike. Meanwhile, a number of brawls occurred at various places between petrol pumps staffers and motorists on the POL prices. It was also reported that the transporters, ply on various routes of the city, also increased the fares according to their own will while passengers rejected this hike and demanded of Chief Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif and high ups of Regional Transport Authority (RTA) to take action against the transporters. Condemning the hike, Muhammad Irshad Janjua, an MBA student, told TheNation on Tuesday that this increase would add to the woes of people who were already reeling under the burden of high prices of essential commodities even in the holy month of Ramazan. He urged the people to come to roads against hike in prices of petroleum products, as only collective effort could only make the government to withdraw the decision. Shouting against the erroneous policies of the PPP-led government; Shehzad, a medical student, demanded the government to take the decision back as the POL prices are already high. The prices of essential commodities like vegetable, pulses, sugar, rice will increase due to hike in petrol and diesel prices as transportation will become more expensive. This is a slap on the face of public who voted for PPP. I strongly condemn the fuel prices hike and ask the government to roll back the hike, he added. Shehnaz Bibi, a private employee, said that the hike in fuel prices would further increase the inflation rate. She said that the jack up during Ramazan would only increase the peoples problems. She also demanded of the government to withdraw the unjustified decision. This is the worst decision of the PPP-led government which would bury people under the burden of inflation, said Mushtaq Ahmed in addition with hike in petroleum and diesel prices in sacred month would add to the miseries of people. It will have a cascading effect on the prices of essential commodities. The hike is unjustified. I demand it should be withdrawn immediately, Miskeen, a banker mentioned. Ali Farooqi, a software engineer who travels from Saddar to Islamabad daily, said, The hike will have an adverse impact on the monthly budget of middle class people like us. This will add to our commuting costs that are already high in a city like Islamabad Muhammad Sharif, a farmer, said that the increase in diesel and petrol prices would cost them too much. He added, We depend mainly on tube-wells run by diesel engines to irrigate our fields. I dont know for whose welfare is the PPP led government working, he questioned. A large number of people belonged to various walks of life also expressed their apprehensions that why the government had increased the prices in the month of Ramazan. They also demanded PPP Co-Chairman and President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and their cronies to immediately step down from their offices in the better interest of the nation. While talking to TheNation, a number of politicians of different political parties also came hard on PPP leaders against raise in oil prices. The PML-N MNA Malik Abrar Ahmed said that this hike in petroleum products was against the PPP manifesto Roti, Kapra or Makan. This would multiply the problems of poor people of Pakistan who were hardly meeting their both ends, he added. Commenting on the issue, leader of Awami Muslim League (AML) Sheikh Rashid Ahmed termed the hike in oil prices by PPP-led government as Oppression on poor people. He said that there was no any well wisher of the downtrodden segments of the society rather rulers were looting poor people by imposing useless taxes and increasing oil prices. Jammat-e-Islami (JI) city amir Raja Abdul Waheed Advocate, while making mockery, said that PPP big wigs had awarded the masses with Eid gift by raising the price of oil products. He said that rulers and treasury benches both were deceiving poor people by creating inflation. The PPP led government had lost its credibility among the masses and soon it would be broken into pieces, said former Federal Minister and PML-Q leader Khan Sarwar Khan. He said that the prices of daily use items were increasing day by day while government big wheels were living a luxurious life in their places.