LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq on Monday said the masses could not survive on democracy alone and the rulers were adding to their miseries through inflation.

Talking to different delegations at the residence of JI deputy chief MianMuhammad AslamonMonday, he said the government had failed to fulfill its promises for controlling wage-price spiral and corruption and it was eliminating the poor instead of poverty.

Mr Haq said an additional burden of Rs27 billion was being put on theconsumers to supply gas to the areas of the ruling party legislators and termed it a most anti-people decision. He deplored that nobody was raising voice against such a major decision as it served the selfish interest of the few in power. He demanded immediate withdrawal of the gas price increase as 36 percent raise in gas prices would lead to further inflation.

The JI chief said the policies prepared under the directives of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund could not serve national interests. He said the common man was unable to afford the utilities bills and was even denied the basic facilities of health, educa-tion and housing. On other hand, he added, the ruling elite were having all luxuries of life.

Sirajul Haq said the country did not have any system of accountability and the rulers would not allow any such system. He suggested that if the plunder of over Rs4 trillion from the public exchequer was stopped, a quality of life of the public could improve. Besides, he added,that according to thefederal finance minister, a huge sum of $200 billion owned by the Pakistanis were lying in banks abroad. He said if even a small portion of this wealth was retrieved, the fate of the nation could be improved.