Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) has maintained its plan to march towards Islamabad, with party Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman saying the protest will not be called off unless the government agrees to abolish the petroleum levy.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore on September 19, Rehman said protest caravans from across Pakistan would begin moving towards the federal capital on September 20. The announcement came despite renewed government efforts to engage the party in talks over the levy.
JI Says March Will Continue
Rehman said the party could not withdraw its planned march without a concrete government proposal for abolishing the petroleum levy. JI has been holding sit-ins in Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and other cities since August 16 as part of its campaign against the levy.
The JI chief said a public rally would be held in Karachi on Saturday night before caravans begin travelling towards Islamabad on September 20. He reiterated that the party intended to keep the protest peaceful.
JI has also said the march would not block roads or disrupt routine activities, including students appearing for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test.
Government and JI Talks Continue
The government has made several attempts to resolve the dispute through negotiations. Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal contacted JI Vice Emir Liaquat Baloch on September 18 and invited the party committee for another round of talks.
The two sides had previously agreed to form committees to examine measures for reducing the petroleum levy and providing relief to consumers. Several rounds of negotiations have since taken place, but JI continues to demand complete abolition of the levy.
The government currently imposes taxes and duties of Rs114 per litre on petrol and Rs100 per litre on diesel, according to Dawn.
JI Rejects Fuel Relief Scheme
The party has also rejected the government’s recently announced fuel relief package, which provides a Rs100-per-litre subsidy to eligible motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingqi rickshaws and cars with engines up to 800cc, subject to specified monthly limits.
Rehman has argued that temporary relief does not address what JI considers the underlying burden created by the petroleum levy. These are the party’s stated arguments for continuing its protest.
The JI chief has also criticised government spending and economic policies, while putting forward proposals concerning taxation, interest rates, independent power producers and other areas of public finance. Those claims and proposals remain positions advanced by the party.
March Comes Amid Security and Political Tensions
The planned JI mobilisation comes as authorities are also preparing for other political demonstrations in Islamabad. The party has expressed support for the PTI’s right to peaceful protest and said it would not support restrictions on lawful demonstrations.
For now, JI says its Islamabad march will proceed on September 20 unless the government reaches an agreement on its central demand of abolishing the petroleum levy.