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| Released
by Muhammed Siddique-ul-Farooque, Central Information Secretary
of Pakistan Muslim League (N) in a Press Conference at Islamabad
on June 7, 2004 General Pervez Musharraf has been ruling the country for four and three quarters of a year. He has been enjoying unlimited powers during this period, and has repeatedly boasted that no previous government could match his achievements. He has also claimed that only pulses have become more costly, and there has been no rise in the prices of other commodities. This fact sheet presents a comparison between the prices prevailing in 1999, when Nawaz Sharif was the Prime Minister, and the current level of prices. It is now for the people to judge what is true and what is false. Item Nawaz Sharif Period 1999 Musharraf Period 2004 Increase
Meanwhile education has become more costly with 100 percent increase in school/college fees and stationery. Five big universities have raised their fees by 400 percent. Public transport fares have risen by 40 to 100 percent. There has been an average of rise of 50 percent in the prices of pulses, spices, rice, detergent, shoes and fabrics. Telephone charges have risen by 100 percent due to limit of five minutes on local calls. Value of the rupee has declined by 18 percent during this period. This brief review proves that the over all rise in prices has been around 70 percent, but the people face further hardships due to declining incomes and rising taxes. Taken together, cost of living for an ordinary citizen has doubled compared to what it was in 1999. A poor or middle class family of six persons used to spend 6000 rupees on essential needs, while now it requires 12000 rupees to maintain same standard. The government has raised salaries of its employees by 45 per cent, but practically the benefit of the raise is limited to 15 - 20 per cent. On the other hand, salaries of the president, judges, army chief, governors and ministers have been increased by 110 to 140 percent. The expenditure on Prime Minister's house in 1999 was 160 million rupees. The present government spends 870 million on the PM House. We demand that the forcibly set up unconstitutional government of General Pervez Musharraf should give relief to government employees with a real increase of 140 percent in their salaries, and that benefits of foreign exchange reserves of 12 billion rupees should be immediately transferred to the common people. |
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