Summary Jamaat-e-Islami maintains sit-ins and long march plan
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has given the government another seven to 10 days to abolish the petroleum levy and provide relief to people struggling with rising living costs.
Speaking at a press conference following a meeting between Jamaat-e-Islami’s negotiating committee and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Hafiz Naeem said his party had presented the public’s case against inflation to the prime minister and his team.
He said Jamaat-e-Islami had conveyed a message across Pakistan that a public movement could be launched around people’s genuine economic concerns.
Hafiz Naeem made it clear that the party’s sit-ins would continue and its announcement of a long march remained unchanged. He said the government had been told in unequivocal terms that the petroleum levy amounted to a tax imposed on the public to extract money, accusing the authorities of relying on various taxes as an easy source of revenue.
According to the Jamaat-e-Islami chief, the government argued during the discussions that abolishing the petroleum levy would leave the national exchequer short of funds. However, he said his party remained firm on its demand for the levy to be scrapped.
He added that the government had sought more time to examine the issue, but Jamaat-e-Islami had insisted that an initial relief package for the public should be announced rather than leaving people waiting for a decision.
Hafiz Naeem said the prime minister had assured the party that progress would be made within eight to 10 days through technical committees examining the matter. He said the government had given an assurance that relief would be provided to the public, adding that the issue should no longer be treated as a question of whether relief would be delivered.
The Jamaat-e-Islami chief said the government wanted to show flexibility on the petroleum levy in phases, whereas his party was seeking immediate results. He added that government representatives had discussed financial resources and different aspects of providing relief during the meeting. However, Jamaat-e-Islami’s position remained that the petroleum levy should be abolished to help people cope with inflation.
Responding to journalists’ questions about a proposal to reduce the petroleum levy by Rs25 to Rs30 per litre, Hafiz Naeem said the government could put forward various proposals, but his party would not abandon its central demand.
He reiterated that Jamaat-e-Islami wanted the levy removed rather than relying on a partial reduction, keeping pressure on the government as the two sides agreed to continue discussions over measures to ease the financial burden on households.
