JI won’t call off its march until the levy is scrapped: Naeem

LAHORE: The Ameer of the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, said on Saturday the JI would not call off its Islamabad march unless the government abolished the petroleum levy, while announcing that caravans from across the country would begin moving towards the federal capital from Sunday. “If the rulers cannot abolish the levy, we cannot call off our march, ” he said at a press conference here at Mansoorah. Rehman said the JI’s protest would remain peaceful and warned the government against taking any adventure against the protesters. He said a public rally would be held in Karachi on Saturday night before the caravans set out for Islamabad on September 20. The JI chief said the government should present any concrete proposal it had for abolishing the petroleum levy. He said the party had already rejected the government’s fuel relief package as inadequate. The government’s current relief scheme provides Rs100 per litre subsidy to eligible motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingqi rickshaws and cars up to 800cc, subject to specified monthly limits. Rehman said the relief was not a favour or charity but a right of the people. He said the government was avoiding structural measures to reduce the burden on consumers and said petroleum prices affected the cost of essential commodities across the country. He said that up to Rs107 per litre was being collected as petroleum levy in addition to other taxes. He criticised the government “for failing to curb corruption” and what he described as “excessive official expenditure”, saying rulers should reduce their own spending instead of asking people to make sacrifices. On negotiations, Rehman said the government had repeatedly asked the JI to give suggestions, though, he argued, it was the government’s responsibility to resolve public problems. He said the JI had already presented proposals during previous rounds of talks but the government had failed to accept them. He also criticised the government’s economic policies, demanding a reduction in interest rates and questioning the argument that the State Bank was autonomous when, he said, the government made appointments to it. Rehman said the government was using the International Monetary Fund as an excuse for not providing relief to the people while maintaining lavish official spending. He cited foreign travel by senior officials and expenses at official meetings, and called on Maryam Nawaz to sell her official aircraft. Turning to the sugar and wheat sectors, the JI Ameer said that powerful groups and cartels were influencing government decisions on imports and exports. He said farmers were not receiving adequate prices for wheat and sugarcane, contributing to higher food prices. He also criticised payments to independent power producers (IPPs), saying that Rs1. 8 trillion was being paid as capacity payments and that payments were also made to regasification plants despite gas shortages. The JI Ameer said the JI’s protest movement had entered its 35th day, with more than 25 sit-ins continuing across the country. He said the JI had held peaceful demonstrations in 42 cities and said the movement had now become a national issue. “We are marching for the people with their support. There is no question of turning back, ” he said. He said the number of sit-ins was being reduced gradually as part of the JI’s strategy for the Islamabad march, adding that the party would continue its protests while representing public grievances. Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said the government had again contacted the JI for talks but had repeatedly sought more time. “If the government does not listen to talks, it will have to listen to public pressure, ” he said. On PTI, he said peaceful protest was a constitutional right of every political party and that containers should not be placed to block PTI demonstrations. He said the JI supported the PTI’s right to peaceful protest, while the PTI had also supported the JI’s protest. Acting JI Secretary General Nazir Ahmad Janjua, Vice Ameer Dr Usama Razi, Deputy Secretary Azhar Iqbal Hassan, Sheikh Usman Farooq, Lahore Ameer Ziauddin Ansari, Secretary Lahore Bilal Azhar, JI Youth leader Jibran Butt, Information Secretary Shakil Ahmed Turabi and Head of Social Media Salman Sheikh were also present at the press conference. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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