ISLAMABAD, (daily paklish): Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Vice Emir Liaqat Baloch said on Tuesday that the government and the JI had agreed on the basic outlines of a proposed agreement during the 10th round of negotiations on petroleum levy relief, with a final decision expected after a possible meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.
Speaking to reporters after talks with the government’s negotiating team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Liaqat Baloch said the proposed meeting between the prime minister and the JI chief would involve detailed discussions before the agreement was finalised.
He was accompanied by members of the JI negotiating committee, including Deputy Secretary Syed Farast Shah, JI North KP Emir Inayatullah Khan, Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari and Islamabad Emir Nasrullah Randhawa.
Liaqat Baloch said Tuesday’s meeting was the most important round of negotiations after nine previous sessions. He stressed that securing relief for the people remained the central objective of the JI’s campaign. He said the discussions focused on two key aspects: providing relief to consumers and reaching an agreement between the two sides on measures to achieve that objective. The government had acknowledged that the international situation was creating difficulties in the supply of petroleum products, he said, adding that both sides had agreed to expand and continue the existing relief package.
He said it was the government’s responsibility to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to ensure the continuation of relief measures. The JI had proposed extending the relief scheme to vehicles with engines of up to 1,000cc and the agriculture sector, including tractors, he added.
Liaqat Baloch said the government had also acknowledged that the demand for abolishing the petroleum levy was justified and could provide substantial relief to the public. The JI had demanded immediate and visible reductions in petroleum prices, along with the abolition of the levy. It had also proposed a mechanism for phasing out the levy, he said.
The government had promised to present a future course of action on the levy’s abolition while explaining its financial constraints, he added.
Criticising the government’s economic priorities, JI vice emir said it was unwilling to cut its lavish expenditures and non-development funds, while the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had failed to meet its tax collection targets. He said the government was shifting the burden of its financial shortcomings onto ordinary citizens instead of reducing its own expenditure and improving revenue collection.
The JI had presented its position to the government through negotiations, and the process had now reached the stage of final decisions, he said, adding that the two sides had also worked on drafting the proposed agreement during Tuesday’s meeting.
Liaqat Baloch said the JI would announce its future course of action after receiving the government’s final response. The JI would then decide whether to proceed with its planned long march.
The JI vice emir maintained that the party’s protest campaign had helped prevent further increases in petroleum prices. He said the JI was aware of the political situation but had to negotiate with the government to secure relief for the people. “ The burden should not be placed on the people. The rulers must reduce their own expenditures and provide relief to consumers gradually,” he said.
Liaqat Baloch also made it clear that the JI would not continue negotiations indefinitely, saying the party would walk away from the process on the day it felt that talks were no longer serving any purpose.