Jamaat-e-Islami announces Nov 29 Minar-e-Pakistan rally over petroleum levy

Jamaat-e-Islami amir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman announced that his party will hold a big rally at Minar-e-Pakistan on November 29. He was speaking at a press conference in Mansoorah.

He said the party had not withdrawn from its protest against the petroleum levy. "احتجاج سے دستبردار نہیں، ہمارا مطالبہ ہے لیوی ختم ہونی چاہئے", he said, in words reported by Express News. The party's demand is that the levy be abolished.

Hafiz Naeem said protest and negotiations would proceed side by side. A big rally will be held in Quetta on November 22, and rallies will also take place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi.

He said relief on petroleum prices was beginning to result from the party's campaign against price increases, and that the government would not have given relief without Jamaat-e-Islami's pressure. The government has told the party that relief is being given to 1.5 crore people.

Hafiz Naeem demanded that relief on petrol be extended to 1300cc vehicles along with 800cc vehicles, and that tractors and public transport vehicles also be covered.

He said nine rounds of negotiations with the government have been held. According to him, the government said the levy is an IMF issue. Jamaat-e-Islami proposed raising import tax on large vehicles and shifting the levy onto them.

He also said the government had indicated petrol could go up to Rs1000. He said refineries, sugar, gas, flour and IPPs form a cartel, and accused it of squeezing the public.

Hafiz Naeem also criticised the Punjab government led by Maryam Nawaz over agriculture and education, saying 52 percent of Ninth class students failed.