The fifth round of talks between the government and JI over the petroleum levy was held at Mansoorah in Lahore on Saturday.
The government delegation included Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah and Punjab Minister Khawaja Salman Rafiq. JI was represented by Vice Emir Liaqat Baloch, Acting Secretary General Nazir Ahmed Janjua, Special Assistant Umair Idrees, JI Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari and Information Secretary Shakil Ahmed Turabi.
During the talks, the government delegation cited security threats and requested JI to defer its planned long march.
Liaqat Baloch said the protest movement and long march would continue until the petroleum levy was abolished. He said the government should take practical steps to address the public demand, otherwise the march would go ahead.
The government delegation assured the JI team that it would soon provide extraordinary relief to the public. Officials also said the government was facing pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and that an IMF delegation was expected to visit Pakistan soon.
Baloch said JI would wait for practical measures from the government, but the protest movement would continue if its demands were not met.
The JI has been holding sit-ins and protests against the petroleum levy, various taxes and independent power producer (IPP) agreements. The party says the campaign has now spread to more than 30 cities and locations across the country.
JI Ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has announced that a “super long march” towards Islamabad will begin on September 20, with caravans expected to travel from different parts of the country.
The party has previously maintained that the Islamabad march would not be postponed unless the government abolished the petroleum levy.
