PESHAWAR/MARDAN, Sep 18 (Daily Paklish ): Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Friday urged the government to understand the public mood and abolish the petroleum levy, warning that caravans from across the country would head towards Islamabad on September 20 for a historic super long march.
Addressing public gatherings in Peshawar and Mardan, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the march would be held at all costs, with caravans travelling towards the capital from all four directions.
He said the large turnout in Peshawar and Mardan showed that people were fed up with government policies and were ready to take to the streets for their rights.
“The march will not begin from a single city or location,” he said, adding that caravans would set off from Karachi, Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A train march from Karachi would reach Multan, from where the caravan would proceed along the GT Road towards Islamabad.
He said caravans from different parts of the country would converge on Islamabad, claiming that the government’s containers would be unable to stop them. He also said JI supporters were prepared to hold multiple sit-ins.
Referring to recent gatherings in Swat, Timergara and Batkhela, the JI chief said large public participation had demonstrated that people were united for their rights. He said a major public gathering would be held in Karachi on September 19.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the government was putting an increasing financial burden on the public through electricity and petroleum prices while repeatedly citing international markets as the reason for increases.
He questioned why petrol prices had risen more sharply in Pakistan than in neighbouring countries. He said the government was collecting what he described as “extortion-like” taxes from consumers, including a petroleum levy of Rs80 per litre and a climate levy of Rs5, in addition to other taxes.
The JI emir said the government had collected more than Rs1.55 trillion through the petroleum levy last year and had set a target of Rs1.7 trillion for the current fiscal year. He argued that reducing the interest rate by three percentage points could generate savings exceeding the revenue collected through the levy.
He called for cuts in government expenditure and practical steps to end the interest-based financial system.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said JI’s campaign was targeting what he called the “refinery, sugar, IPP and banking mafias”. He maintained that JI’s political activities were financed by its workers and supporters rather than vested interests.
He said the party would continue its campaign until the petroleum levy was completely abolished. “We do not want charity in the name of relief packages; we want the people’s rights,” he said.
The JI leader also criticised the government’s education priorities, saying schools and other public institutions should not be used for political purposes while basic education and healthcare remained public rights.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said JI would arrive in Islamabad with full strength on September 20 and demand a response from the government to its public demands.