KARACHI, Feb 6: Leader of the opposition in the Senate and deputy secretary-general of the Pakistan People’s Party Raza Rabbani has slammed the caretaker government for “exceeding its limits” by advising the future elected government to increase oil prices.

Addressing a news conference at the Karachi Press Club on Wednesday, he said the caretaker government’s mandate was restricted to the holding of free, fair and transparent elections and, as such, it should not exceed the mandate as it had no right to sanction long-term economic projects.

He also condemned President Pervez Musharraf’s attitude with senior journalist M. Ziauddin in London, and said it was reflective of the rulers’ mindset towards the media, already gagged through the amendments made to the Press and Publication Ordinance and the Pemra Ordinance on Nov 3.

In this regard, he also referred to the alleged threatening attitude of the federal information minister towards the media a couples of days back, and said it seemed to be part of a pre-poll rigging plan. He charged that the government had prepared a plan to steal the elections.