ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman to postpone the party’s long march for a few days and offered talks on the petroleum levy, according to the party and media reports.
Shehbaz, who is in New York, contacted Naeem by telephone after the JI-led train march reached Multan on Tuesday.
During the call, the prime minister said the government was ready for meaningful talks on the petroleum levy. He also said he would meet Naeem after returning to Pakistan and discuss further relief measures for the public.
Naeem, however, said the government’s announced relief package was not acceptable to the party. He maintained that the JI would continue its campaign until the petroleum levy was abolished.
He said the party had been protesting against the levy for about one and a half months. However, he said he would consult the JI leadership before responding to the prime minister’s request for a short pause in the march.
The JI’s train march is part of its nationwide campaign against the petroleum levy and higher fuel-related taxes. The party has demanded the withdrawal of the levy and further relief for consumers.
Meanwhile, addressing a rally in Multan, Naeem said the government’s only option was to abolish the petroleum levy to provide relief to the public.
He thanked people in Multan for welcoming the march and claimed that the train had been deliberately delayed by four hours. He said the delay did not stop large numbers of supporters from gathering in the city.
Naeem also said participants from Balochistan had joined the march, while caravans from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were also heading towards the federal capital.
He urged the government to remove barriers and provide relief instead.
The JI chief also criticised successive governments over economic policies, taxes and the role of what he described as powerful business groups in the economy.
He alleged that middlemen and commodity-related groups had contributed to higher prices of wheat, flour and sugar. He also criticised the government’s policies toward the sugar sector and independent power producers.
Naeem said the JI’s previous campaign against independent power producers had helped secure relief for consumers. He called for further measures to reduce the financial burden on the public.
The JI has said its long march is heading towards Islamabad, with the party demanding the abolition of the petroleum levy.
