Addressing a protest sit-in outside the Chief Minister's House in Lahore against the petroleum levy and rising inflation, Hafiz Naeem said protests were continuing outside the Governor House in Karachi and in Peshawar and Lahore.
He said people were not sitting in the heat out of choice but to demand their rights. Those who receive free fuel, he added, could not understand the difficulties faced by ordinary citizens in paying rent and meeting daily expenses.
Hafiz Naeem said the government was not only increasing petrol prices but also imposing additional taxes on the public. Addressing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, he said they should make their ministers aware of the difficulties being faced by ordinary people.
Criticising the feudal system, the Jamaat-e-Islami chief questioned how much tax the country's major landlords had paid. He said taxes were being collected from students and ordinary citizens while the feudal system could no longer continue.
Hafiz Naeem alleged that wealthy landlords and influential groups were avoiding taxes while the burden of taxation was being shifted onto ordinary people and the middle class. He said the struggle for people's rights had begun and the sit-in would continue until the government bowed to their demands.
He urged young people not to lose hope and to participate in the struggle against government policies rather than against any particular political party.
Hafiz Naeem also criticised the country's governance system, saying there was no effective governance and that the "Form 47 system" was unacceptable to the people. He vowed to continue the struggle until the system was uprooted.
The Jamaat-e-Islami chief made it clear that his party would not accept a briefing from the government committee. He said that if the government wanted to negotiate, its representatives should come to the protesters and hold talks with them.
He reiterated that the price of petrol must be brought down to Rs225 per litre under all circumstances.
