Speaking at a press conference, Hafiz Naeem said large public gatherings were held in Timergara and Batkhela, while a large number of people were also participating in ongoing sit-ins in Karachi and other parts of the country.
He said the Jamaat-e-Islami’s sit-ins were being held for the people and had now developed into a national movement. He added that women were also participating in large numbers.
Hafiz Naeem said the government had been forced to announce a relief package, but Rs100 per litre in relief was insufficient given the current level of inflation. He said abolishing the petroleum levy was more important than announcing a relief package.
He said the sit-ins would continue and preparations were underway for the September 20 long march. He warned that if the government created obstacles to the march, it would be responsible for the consequences.
Hafiz Naeem said the Jamaat-e-Islami had become a source of hope for 250 million people and would continue its struggle until the public received relief.
He said September 20 would see a historic show of power and that the Jamaat-e-Islami would travel to Islamabad and stage a sit-in there to pressure the government into providing relief.
Hafiz Naeem said the government had requested one more day for negotiations. He added that whenever talks were held, the Jamaat-e-Islami would have only one demand: the abolition of the petroleum levy.
He said the government had questioned how state expenditures would be met if the levy was removed. However, he said the Jamaat-e-Islami’s negotiating team had proposed an alternative source of revenue.
Hafiz Naeem claimed that more than 50% of income in Pakistan was not registered. He also called for a reduction in interest rates, saying this would not lead to higher inflation.
He criticised the government’s position that the State Bank of Pakistan was an autonomous institution, saying the government itself appoints the bank’s governor and members.
He said the monetary policy meeting was being held on Monday and called for a three-percentage-point reduction in the interest rate.
The Jamaat-e-Islami emir alleged that the banking, flour, sugar and independent power producer sectors were operating as interconnected “mafias”.
He said the elite were sitting in the Gymkhana and other clubs and making decisions about the fate of ordinary people.
Hafiz Naeem demanded the complete abolition of the petroleum levy and climate levy. He also alleged that the public had been deceived by keeping the prices of locally produced and imported oil at the same level.
He said the party was consistently fighting the people’s case and that its workers and supporters remained determined despite difficult circumstances.
Hafiz Naeem said sit-ins were continuing in Malakand, Chitral and Balochistan despite difficult conditions.
He said the Jamaat-e-Islami was heading to Islamabad and would not return after merely making a symbolic appearance.
He said all political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), should be given their constitutional right to protest. He added that PTI had supported the Jamaat-e-Islami’s sit-ins.
Hafiz Naeem said the PTI founder was a political prisoner and should be released.
He said the Jamaat-e-Islami’s movement would benefit the entire nation rather than any single political party.
Hafiz Naeem said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi had visited Mansoorah and later also participated in the Peshawar sit-in.
He said a resolution concerning the Jamaat-e-Islami’s sit-ins had also been submitted in the Sindh Assembly.
Hafiz Naeem said he might meet Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the coming days.
He claimed that the Pakistan Peoples Party was also supporting the Jamaat-e-Islami’s sit-ins.
