ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has announced that the party will hold a long march to Islamabad in mid-November, saying it will not postpone the protest this time.
Addressing a news conference, Hafiz Naeem said preparations for the Islamabad march were complete and the party would continue its preparations while holding talks with the government.
He urged the government to announce a relief package before the march begins, warning that the issue could be taken to the streets if the announcement was not made.
The JI chief said the burden of the petroleum levy was being borne by the middle class and poor people, while the existing relief package was not providing sufficient benefits to the public.
He said the government was talking about abolishing the petroleum levy in phases, but Jamaat-e-Islami wanted its immediate removal. According to Hafiz Naeem, the government was collecting Rs150 billion in petroleum levy every month.
He said every government claimed it would break free from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but later accepted even conditions that the lender had not imposed.
Questioning the increase in refinery margins despite rising prices in the international market, Hafiz Naeem said refinery margins should be reduced and the petroleum levy abolished to provide relief to the public.
He said Jamaat-e-Islami’s protests and sit-ins had prevented the government from increasing petroleum prices, adding that the government had reduced the levy by up to Rs32 following the party’s sit-in.
Hafiz Naeem said the government had attempted to provide some relief because of the party’s protests and pressure.
Regarding his meeting with the prime minister, the JI chief said it could not be described as fruitless, as the premier had agreed to expand the scope of relief for the public. However, he said the details of the proposed relief would have to be examined.
He reiterated that Jamaat-e-Islami would not withdraw from the Islamabad march and would continue preparations while negotiations with the government remained underway.