Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Rana Sanaullah, Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervez Malik, Bilal Azhar Kayani and other senior officials also attended the meeting. Ahsan Iqbal said it had been agreed in Lahore that detailed discussions on the petroleum levy would be held in Islamabad.
‘We all care about the public interest. The government does not want to put any additional burden on the people, Ahsan Iqbal said. He added that the government would be pleased if any relief could be provided to the public.
According to Ahsan Iqbal, petrol prices had declined after relations between the United States and Iran improved, while prices had to be increased due to the escalation of tensions.
He said the meeting was held to review in detail the working and proposals presented by Jamaat-e-Islami regarding the petroleum levy. ‘We have some national economic realities that no one can deny,’ Ahsan Iqbal said.
He also clarified that the government does not determine the policy rate, as the State Bank of Pakistan is independent in this matter. He said the State Bank’s policy board decides the policy rate after considering inflation.
Speaking on the occasion, Rana Sanaullah said it was a sign of Jamaat-e-Islami’s maturity that it had kept the option of negotiations open on every issue.
Liaquat Baloch said negotiations were the only solution and that his party also understood that protests alone could not resolve the issues.
“We are happy that the PML-N government has always given negotiations the first priority,” Liaquat Baloch said.
He said rising electricity, gas and petrol prices were increasing disappointment among the public.
“We know that we are trapped in the IMF’s grip and many decisions are being taken due to the government’s constraints,” Liaquat Baloch said.
Ahsan Iqbal said Jamaat-e-Islami’s proposals concerned different ministries and their views would be sought before a decision was made.
He said the government would obtain feedback from the relevant institutions and the second round of negotiations would be held within three days.
Ahsan Iqbal added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wanted the benefits of economic recovery to reach the people in the form of relief.
“The government will welcome all workable proposals. If any proposals are found to be impractical, we will explain the reasons to Jamaat-e-Islami,” he said.
The two sides are expected to continue discussions after the relevant ministries and institutions review Jamaat-e-Islami’s proposals.
