Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Thursday said the party is deferring its deadline for a long march on Islamabad by one day, until Sept. 11 (today), adding the final decision will be announced at a public gathering in Gujranwala.
Addressing the party’s ongoing sit-in against taxes on fuel products in Lahore, he maintained they had given the government sufficient time to respond to their demands. He reiterated a threat of the demonstration evolving into a long march aimed at ousting the government if demands remain unmet.
According to Rehman, the JI has summoned its leadership from across Pakistan for a meeting on Friday (today), adding they would determine the future course of action. He said the party had already engaged in two rounds of talks with the government but these had not yielded any tangible results. He said the government was seeking more time to consult relevant departments over the petroleum levy, warning the party would not allow negotiations to continue indefinitely.
The JI leader accused the government of hiding behind rising global oil prices to justify keeping petroleum prices high through the petroleum levy. He demanded an end to the levy and lashed out at the government for continuing to avail perks and privileges while burdening the common man.
Rehman also demanded a reduction in the interest rate, claiming it would not increase inflation. In this regard, he slammed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)’s autonomy, maintaining the JI had always opposed it.
He said he had reached out to other opposition parties, including JUIF chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, to encourage them to support the JI’s movement. He claimed the JUIF chief had called for a joint opposition on public issues, while Afridi had said the federal government should slash the levy.
The JI chief maintained protests were ongoing nationwide and reiterated that if the government failed to provide relief, these would intensify.
Separately, JI leader Liaquat Baloch told journalists in Islamabad that the party had presented six demands to the government. He said authorities had sought more time to consider the demands and blamed bureaucratic hurdles for the prolonged negotiations. However, he warned, this could not continue indefinitely.
Baloch claimed the government could reduce the levy by creating fiscal space through reductions in oil refinery margins and the interest rate. To a question, he said the government had not provided any substantial response beyond a desire for prolonged talks.