Jamaat-i-Islami emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday confirmed the JI Islamabad march November plan, saying his party would march to Islamabad in protest against the petroleum levy in mid-November if the government did not announce any major relief by then.
He made the announcement during a press conference in Islamabad, shortly after he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss his demand to abolish the petroleum levy.
“We want to make it clear that we will not postpone our Islamabad march any longer. It will now take place in mid-November, and it certainly will take place,” the JI chief said.
He added: “Let them announce this package, provide this relief, and devise a mechanism to abolish this extortionate levy before that, but if they do not do so, we might have to sit on the road to talk.”
“We are prepared for anything,” Rehman declared.
What the meeting with the prime minister produced
Asked about the outcome of his meeting with PM Shehbaz, offered by the prime minister when urging the party to postpone its march, the JI emir refrained from terming it inconclusive.
He noted that the two sides had consensus on expanding the scope of relief, but there were disagreements over the modalities and procedure.
“We say eliminate the levy; they say we can move towards it phase by phase,” Rehman explained.
Rehman told the media that JI was forming another committee on the matter, comprising Baloch, Shah and Randhawa.
“We cannot simply accept peanuts,” the JI chief said when asked about a reported government offer to reduce the levies by Rs20 to Rs30. He stressed his party stance.
He said JI would continue preparations and nationwide mobilisation for the march, while negotiations continued. “Our preparations are already complete; we will prepare further and we will talk to them further. However, we will also hold the Islamabad march in mid-November,” Rehman said.
The levy’s history, in brief
Rehman recalled that in April, the government had hiked the levy on petrol to Rs160 per litre from Rs105, but widespread criticism prompted it to reduce the levy by Rs80.
He claimed credit for the relief scheme launched in mid-September, asking: “If Jamaat-i-Islami was not protesting, do you think this relief package would have come?”
“Give relief to the people; do not take retribution for your incompetence from the nation,” he said.
The JI chief said the party had also raised refineries’ margins, which rose when international oil prices rose. “That should have decreased, people should have gotten relief,” he said. He added that the levy should be abolished alongside relief on fuel prices during the Middle East conflicts.
JI Islamabad march November: protests so far
The JI has been demanding for over two months that the centre abolish petroleum levies, as fuel prices have risen sharply due to conflicts in the Middle East since March.
The centre and JI had agreed to form committees in early September, when the latter had planned a nationwide strike, to recommend measures to reduce the levy.
The campaign began with sit-ins announced on August 16 and a nationwide strike on September 3. On September 20, the party marched towards Islamabad, warning the protest could turn into one to oust the government. Two days later, with its convoy in Multan, it postponed the march at PM Shehbaz’s request, after he assured it of a meeting.
However, in a press release issued last week, the party alleged that the government had made no further contact regarding the planned meeting.
Rehman had warned on Monday that the party would march to Islamabad in mid-November if the premier did not abolish the levy. Tuesday’s press conference, after the meeting at PM House, turned that warning into a firm date.
Frequently asked questions
When will JI march to Islamabad?
Jamaat-i-Islami says it will march to Islamabad in mid-November if the government does not announce a relief package and a mechanism to abolish the petroleum levy before then.
What happened at the meeting with the prime minister?
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman met PM Shehbaz Sharif at PM House on Tuesday. He said both sides agreed on expanding the scope of relief but disagreed on modalities and procedure, with JI seeking abolition and the government favouring a phased move.
What offer did JI reject?
Rehman rejected a reported offer to cut levies by Rs20 to Rs30, saying: “We cannot simply accept peanuts.”
