Govt, JI agree to form committees to explore relief measures

The government and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Thursday agreed to form committees to deliberate on measures aimed at providing relief to the public amid rising inflation and petroleum prices. Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, speaking at a joint press conference with JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman and Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, said the government had already constituted a committee and asked the JI to form its own team of experts. The development came as the JI continued its nationwide protest against the petroleum levy, inflation and high electricity prices. The strike received a mixed response, with markets and shops partially closed in parts of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while businesses largely remained open in Punjab and Balochistan. A government delegation comprising Iqbal, Sanaullah and Punjab Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique held talks with JI leadership at the party’s headquarters in Mansoorah, Lahore. The JI negotiating team was led by its Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch and included Deputy Secretary Farasat Shah, Islamabad Emir Nasrullah Randhawa, Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari and Naveed Ali Baig. During the meeting, the JI presented its demands, calling for the withdrawal of the petroleum levy, termination of independent power producer (IPP) agreements and a reduction in electricity prices. The government delegation said the demands were legitimate but maintained that petroleum prices had to be considered in the context of international market conditions. Govt to consider JI proposals on petroleum levy Speaking at the joint press conference, Iqbal said the talks were being held on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. “Both the government and Jamaat-e-Islami want relief for the people, ” he said, adding that the government would listen to the JI’s proposals on the petroleum levy and take whatever steps were possible to reduce the burden on consumers. Iqbal said the government had formed a team of experts and proposed that the JI also constitute a team of experts. The two committees would jointly work out a strategy for providing relief to the public. He said the government would examine the JI’s proposals and seek their implementation wherever possible to reduce the burden on ordinary citizens. Iqbal said the policy rate, which had previously stood at 23. 5%, had now fallen to 11. 5%. He also criticised the economic situation inherited by the current government, saying the country had gone through a “dark period” over the past four years. He said the government was not in the International Monetary Fund programme by choice, but was dealing with the challenges facing the country under the existing circumstances. The minister said formal discussions between the government and JI would begin on Monday. Sanaullah said the government and JI shared the objective of providing relief to the public. He said the JI leadership had indicated that it had proposals capable of reducing the burden on consumers and that the government was prepared to examine them. Sanaullah said teams from the Federal Board of Revenue, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Petroleum would work together to find ways to provide relief. He attributed part of the increase in domestic prices to rising international prices and said the Iran war had also added to the burden on ordinary citizens. Sanaullah also credited the JI’s efforts with contributing to improvements in the electricity sector. JI says protests will continue during talks Naeem said the meeting with the government delegation had been held in a positive atmosphere and thanked the government representatives for coming to Mansoorah. He said the JI’s sit-ins had entered their 19th day, expanding from three locations initially to 15 locations. Hafiz Naeem stressed that the protests were not aimed at pursuing a personal or electoral agenda but were intended to secure relief for the public. He said inflation had made life increasingly difficult, claiming that more than 40 per cent of the population was living below the poverty line and that 95pc of people were struggling to meet basic needs. He further claimed that poverty had increased by 33pc over the past six years. The JI emir criticised the petroleum levy, saying the government had collected more than Rs8 trillion through the levy. He said even people who did not directly pay income taxes were effectively paying a substantial levy on petroleum products, describing the burden on motorcycle users and other ordinary consumers as unjustified. Hafiz also criticised capacity payments to IPPs, including payments for electricity that was not generated, as well as capacity charges linked to regasification plants. He said the JI had identified areas where government expenditure could be reduced to bring down inflation. The party’s demands include cheaper petrol, lower flour prices and reduced electricity tariffs. Hafiz said the government had suggested postponing the sit-ins, but the JI had made it clear that its protests would continue while negotiations took place. “Negotiations will be more meaningful if the sit-ins continue, ” he said. He added that the JI would present detailed proposals to the government aimed at reducing the cost of living and providing immediate relief to the public.

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