The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Sunday announced it will stage a nationwide shutter-down strike against inflated fuel prices after 12th Rabiul Awal, as the party’s sit-ins over the issue continue in provincial capitals.
12th Rabiul Awal, Eid Milad-un-Nabi (Peace Be Upon Him), falls on Aug. 26, and the government has announced a nationwide public holiday to mark the occasion.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the party’s campaign was progressing “in the best possible manner,” and reiterated his demand for the federal government to reduce petroleum product prices by slashing the levy imposed on them. “Government officials are driving expensive vehicles with our money,” he said, criticizing government spending.
He claimed public pressure had forced the government to reduce the price of diesel by Rs. 32/liter in one go—though the very next day, the government increased the prices once more. He said oil mafias had been making excessive profits by charging consumers for imported diesel at rates linked to the cost of locally produced diesel.
He further slammed flour and sugar mafias, lamenting farmers are struggling to obtain fertilizer at affordable prices.
Vowing to launch a nationwide shutter-down strike after Eid Milad un Nabi, he said the JI would not end its protests on the basis of government assurances. “The sit-in will end only when the government implements our demands in practical terms,” he said, adding if the government does not respond to the strike, it could evolve into a long march on Islamabad.
The JI launched its protests on Aug. 16, with demonstrations ongoing in Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar. Key to its demands is withdrawal of the petroleum levy imposed on fuel products, which raises consumers prices by roughly a third. Public anger over the prices has mounted with the government switching to a daily price fixation mechanism, resulting in almost daily price hikes with minor decreases that cumulatively result in ongoing price hikes.
Earlier, the fuel prices had triggered protests from transporters and petroleum dealers though the former suspended a protest following assurances from the government while the latter was granted higher profit margins.