Government Has Final Chance as JI Refuses to Back Down From Islamabad March, Hafiz Naeem

He said Jamaat-e-Islami will reach Islamabad with full strength, while the decision on public relief now depends on the steps taken by the prime minister. Whether the prime minister provides relief or not is a decision for the government to make.

He said Jamaat-e-Islami would not withdraw its demand for the abolition of the petroleum levy.

The JI Ameer said the government should also form a committee for talks with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and implement Raja Nasir Abbas’s proposal for negotiations between the government and PTI.

He said peaceful protest is a constitutional right of every political party in Pakistan. The government cannot fill cities with containers to stop protests, while terms such as the Red Zone have no connection with the Constitution. The Constitution guarantees everyone the right to peaceful protest, and Jamaat-e-Islami recognizes the right of all political parties to protest.

He said supremacy of the Constitution is necessary to resolve the country’s problems and that Pakistan’s 250 million people are the most important. The middle class and salaried class have been severely affected by inflation.

The JI Ameer said there are serious concerns over the Punjab government’s policies in the education sector. He said 11,000 schools in Punjab have already been outsourced, while there are plans to outsource another 25,000 schools. He said Punjab’s universities are not being provided the required grants, while questions are being raised over the privatization and outsourcing of educational institutions.

He said the rulers would have to reduce their luxuries and privileges. Reforms are needed in the IPPs, sugar, flour and banking sectors.

The JI Ameer said Pakistan’s crisis is not the result of the poor and middle class. He said the salaried class is paying Rs700 billion in taxes, while large amounts are being collected from the poor and middle class through the petroleum levy.

He said billions of rupees had been paid to IPPs without electricity being generated. He said a few powerful interests are responsible for Pakistan’s problems.

The JI Ameer said the petroleum levy must be abolished and petrol prices must be reduced. Questioning the increase in petrol prices despite a decline in global oil prices, he demanded an explanation for raising petrol prices even after international prices had fallen by two to three dollars.

He said Rs150 billion is being collected every month through the petroleum levy, while the government has announced a monthly relief package of Rs26 billion to Rs30 billion. He said the relief package is insufficient compared with the Rs150 billion levy and that the government is collecting nearly six times more through the levy than it is providing through the relief package.

He said genuine relief cannot be provided to the public without abolishing the petroleum levy. He said transport fares are increasing despite a decline in petrol prices, while a 7% increase in fares has added to the difficulties faced by the public. He said the government’s relief package has ignored the problems of transporters.

The JI Ameer said people who do not have motorcycles registered in their own names are also facing difficulties in obtaining relief, while dealers are also concerned about the mechanism of the government’s relief package. He said the government relief package does not provide a complete solution to public problems.

He said abolishing the petroleum levy is the fundamental solution to the increase in petrol prices. He said Jamaat-e-Islami’s movement against the petroleum levy is continuing across Pakistan and the Islamabad long march began on September 20.

The JI Ameer said the prime minister had requested that the long march be postponed. He said he told the prime minister that people were dying and that they had no interest in protesting. The prime minister assured them of a meeting upon his return to Pakistan and promised relief, but despite the assurance, Jamaat-e-Islami would not withdraw from the protest.

He said Jamaat-e-Islami had also decided not to end the long march. At the prime minister’s request, the party would give him an opportunity to meet, during which its demands for public relief would be presented.

The JI Ameer made it clear that no decision had been taken to withdraw from the protest. Sit-ins and protest camps will continue. Until the meeting with the prime minister, workers will continue their public outreach campaign, and a decision has been made to obtain formal written support from the public. Workers will remain active in the field.

He said various plans had been prepared for the Islamabad march, including plans to enter Islamabad from several locations. He said Jamaat-e-Islami’s agenda is not chaos or disorder but securing relief for the public.

The JI Ameer said the issue would be resolved if the government provides relief, but if relief is not provided, the long march will continue. The party has also announced that the long march will continue into the first ten days of October. Jamaat-e-Islami’s march camp will remain in Multan, while protest activities will also continue in Khyber and Balochistan.

He said various taxes were being imposed to collect money from the public. Jamaat-e-Islami launched a nationwide movement against the petroleum levy because political parties have moved away from the basic issues faced by the public.

The JI Ameer said strong enthusiasm was witnessed among the public during the movement. On August 7, sit-ins were held at 510 locations across the country. Roads and intersections were blocked during the protests, but ambulances were allowed to pass.

He said sit-ins began at provincial headquarters on August 16, and the movement gradually expanded to 42 cities. People from different sections of society have been participating in sit-ins in the 42 cities every day.

He said a nationwide shutter-down strike was held on September 3 with the support of the public and traders. Under pressure from the protests, the government began negotiations, and at the government’s request, Jamaat-e-Islami’s negotiating committee gave a detailed presentation.

The JI Ameer said the government was told that reforms in various sectors could make it possible to abolish the petroleum levy. However, the government has maintained that it is under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding the abolition of the petroleum levy.

He made it clear that if the petroleum levy is not abolished, the protests will not end either. Jamaat-e-Islami announced the Islamabad march for September 20. As part of the campaign, a train march was held from Karachi to Rohri, while the second phase of the train march from Rohri to Multan was launched.

He said the Jamaat-e-Islami convoy is currently camped in Multan. He said their struggle has no personal or party interest. The increase in petrol prices is making everything more expensive, while rising petrol prices are continuously contributing to inflation and causing ordinary households to struggle to afford basic necessities.

The JI Ameer said this is an issue concerning 250 million people and that the abolition of the petroleum levy is the public’s fundamental demand.