ISLAMABAD – Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has announced a train march ahead of a planned long march to Islamabad as part of its campaign against high petroleum taxes and rising inflation.
The party has also kept the options of a nationwide wheel-jam and shutter-down strike open if the government fails to make progress on its demands. JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the scope of sit-ins would be expanded if the government failed to provide relief to the public.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s protest camp outside the Punjab Assembly, Hafiz Naeem said the sit-ins had entered their 23rd day. He said people from different sectors were joining the movement, which, according to him, had increased public awareness about citizens’ rights.
The JI chief said the party’s primary demand was the abolition of the petroleum levy. He noted that international crude oil prices were currently ranging between $92 and $97 per barrel, yet continued increases in petroleum product prices were placing an additional burden on consumers.
He said ordinary citizens, particularly motorcycle users, were paying substantial amounts in petroleum levies and taxes.
Hafiz Naeem alleged that the government had collected more petroleum levy than its prescribed target and claimed that corruption amounting to more than Rs5 trillion had occurred in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) over the past four years. He said the public would not accept petroleum levies and additional taxes.
He announced that the first meeting of technical committees representing the government and JI would be held on Monday. He said the JI committee comprised experts and expressed hope that the government would also nominate relevant specialists for the negotiations.
The JI emir said the party had three options if negotiations failed: a wheel-jam and shutter-down strike, a long march to Islamabad and, before that, a train march. He directed party workers to remain prepared for large-scale mobilisation, saying the train march would involve travelling alongside ordinary citizens.
Hafiz Naeem also called for a forensic audit of Independent Power Producers (IPPs), claiming that such an investigation could expose irregularities.
He stressed that the protests were not intended to cause hardship for citizens but to pressure the government into providing relief.
The JI chief criticised the privileges available to the elite, bureaucracy and judges, saying there was a huge disparity between the lifestyles of ordinary citizens and the privileged classes. He argued that the cost of such privileges was ultimately borne by the public.
He further pointed out that a billionaire’s vehicle and a motorcycle rider were subject to the same petroleum levy. He claimed that a one-percentage-point reduction in the interest rate could provide an economic benefit of more than Rs563 billion.
Hafiz Naeem also expressed concerns over the performance of government schools in Punjab and claimed that poverty in the province had increased by 41 percent. He further alleged that the government had sold 4,000 schools.
On political issues, he criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, accusing both of promoting what he described as ethnic or linguistic politics. He called for national-level dialogue on major issues, including the creation of new provinces.
The JI chief also raised concerns over alleged irregularities in government institutions and the education system in Sindh and urged the provincial government to address public grievances seriously.
He also questioned the petitions filed in courts against the sit-ins, arguing that courts already dealing with large numbers of pending cases should not give priority to such petitions.
Hafiz Naeem said the government would face increasing pressure from the protests unless it took practical steps to address public concerns over taxes, inflation and the cost of living.
