JI warns of mid-November Islamabad march if petroleum levy stays

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan Ameer Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said on Monday that his party would march towards Islamabad in mid-November if the government failed to abolish the petroleum levy and give relief to the public.

Speaking at a press conference at Mansoorah in Lahore, he said JI would continue its campaign until the government accepted its demands. He acknowledged that the government had reduced petroleum prices after the party's protests, but said the measures were not enough.

Naeem said government ministers had again contacted the party's negotiating committee, but JI remained firm on complete abolition of the levy. He said he would make an important announcement on the evening of his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif if progress was made on relief. According to Minute Mirror and Daily Pakistan, he said he would meet the prime minister, but that there would be no further talks if no relief followed, and decisions would then be made on the streets.

He said the tax burden on ordinary citizens was growing while the profits of certain business groups were rising. He called for lower profit margins for oil refineries and oil marketing companies so consumers could benefit, and also demanded a cut in the policy rate and steps to end interest-based economic practices.

The JI chief also condemned the imposition of an emergency in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, calling it a violation of human rights, and demanded that it be lifted.

On the courts, he said millions of cases were pending and alleged that the 26th Constitutional Amendment had weakened the judiciary. He said extrajudicial killings could not fix systemic problems and that the government lacked an effective policy to help people.

On Palestine, he said Israeli destruction in Gaza had caused food shortages and that global powers and Muslim countries had not played an effective role. He questioned what Muslim rulers and the Peace Board were doing to support Palestinians.

According to Express Tribune, JI's campaign intensified in August with sit-ins, including outside governors' houses on August 16. The government and JI agreed on technical committees on September 3, and the party submitted six proposals on September 7. A long march began on September 20 from Karachi but was suspended after Shehbaz Sharif phoned Naeem and asked for time for talks.