Key Takeaways
- Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal contacted Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) to invite them to another round of talks.
- JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman finalised preparations for a march against the petrol levy on September 20.
- JI claims its proposals could save the national exchequer between Rs3 trillion and Rs4 trillion.
Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has contacted Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Vice Emir Liaqat Baloch, inviting the party to another round of talks regarding the abolition of the petroleum levy.
The government’s renewed contact comes as JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman finalises preparations for a march on Islamabad scheduled for September 20, aimed at pressuring the government to abolish the levy.
Baloch stated that he would respond to the invitation after consulting the party chief and senior leadership, while making it clear that the JI’s protest movement will continue until the petrol levy is abolished.
The latest contact follows several rounds of talks between the government and JI, including initial invitations to Mansoora in Lahore and four subsequent rounds in Islamabad, the last of which took place on September 16.
JI chief Rehman announced that the party’s nationwide ‘super long march’ will commence on September 20, involving caravans from Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan, including a dedicated train contingent from Karachi.
Rehman criticised rising fuel costs and heavy taxation, asserting that the national exchequer could save between Rs3 trillion and Rs4 trillion if the party’s proposed fiscal reforms were adopted.
The JI chief rejected the government’s argument that recent energy and fuel price hikes were solely due to international market forces, instead blaming aggressive levies for revenue targets.
Calling for an end to guaranteed profit margins for oil marketing companies, Rehman reiterated JI’s demands to abolish the petroleum levy, end non-productive capacity payments to independent power producers and regasification plants, and fix the price of petrol at Rs225 per litre.
Rehman also called for an immediate cut of three percentage points in the benchmark interest rate, noting that every one-percentage-point reduction would save the exchequer approximately Rs574 billion.
He urged the government to stop protecting commercial bank profits and work towards systematically eliminating interest from the national economy.
The JI chief confirmed ongoing dialogue and mutual political support with farmers’ alliances and PTI over their respective demonstrations, stating that public support for the party’s movement is growing.
Iqbal invited the JI committee, led by Baloch, to talks on Saturday.
Liaqat Baloch, JI Vice Emir
The September 20 demonstration will involve caravans travelling to Islamabad from across Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, including a dedicated contingent travelling by train from Karachi.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, JI Emir
