JI to continue protests nationwide as it demands end to petroleum levy

LAHORE:

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said on Wednesday that the party would continue its nationwide protest campaign against the petroleum levy while holding talks with the government, as he announced a rally in Quetta on November 22 and a public gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore on November 29.

Addressing a news conference at the party’s headquarters in Mansoora, Lahore, Rehman said JI had not withdrawn its demand for the complete abolition of the levy, stating that the party would continue its public campaign, with further rallies planned in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi.

He said the government had told JI that 15 million people were receiving relief, but argued that the support should cover more households and sectors, calling for extending the fuel relief scheme from vehicles with engines up to 800cc to those up to 1,300cc, saying middle-income and salaried families also used the latter.

Read: JI, govt agree on draft outlines for petroleum levy relief

The JI chief also pressed for tractors and public transport vehicles to be included, saying farmers and commuters needed relief from fuel costs.

Rehman stated that he also proposed raising import duties on vehicles with engine capacities above 1,800cc and shifting the petroleum levy towards owners of larger vehicles, adding that people who could afford such vehicles should bear more of the cost, rather than the public at large.

The JI chief added that he also called for restricting government officials’ use of vehicles above 1,300cc and reducing official privileges and spending to help fund relief.

He underlined that JI had presented proposals for ending the levy and had completed nine rounds of talks with the government, adding that the government had described the levy as an issue linked to the International Monetary Fund programme.

Rehman said the government had previously indicated that petrol could reach Rs1,000 per litre, and credited JI’s campaign with helping bring prices down, stating that falling prices were not a reason for the party to stop its campaign.

He noted that JI had also argued that the government’s relief offer was too limited compared with the scale of fuel costs, highlighting that the government collected around Rs150 billion a month through the petroleum levy but provided Rs26 billion to Rs30 billion in relief.

Read More: Govt, JI form committee to expand fuel relief scheme, phase out petroleum levy

Rehman also said that more than 25 million motorcycle users in Pakistan were not adequately covered in the relief offer.

The JI chief also criticised the Punjab government’s agriculture and education policies, stating that farmers in Punjab were not receiving the full price for wheat and alleging that the province’s agriculture had fallen behind.

He further questioned the government over school examination results, asking why 52% of ninth-grade students had failed.

He also accused oil refineries, sugar, gas, flour and power producers of operating as a cartel that benefited at the public’s expense.

Background of JI protests

JI’s campaign against the petroleum levy intensified in August, when the party organised demonstrations and sit-ins across the country against rising fuel prices, inflation and what it described as an additional tax burden on consumers. On August 16, JI workers staged sit-ins outside governors’ houses in the provincial capitals, demanding the withdrawal of the levy and a reduction in petrol prices.

The party subsequently expanded its protests to other cities, including Karachi, where it established additional protest camps across Sindh. JI maintained that the government should abolish the levy rather than offer limited reductions in fuel prices.

On September 3, the government and JI agreed to establish technical committees to examine proposals for reducing the petroleum levy and fuel prices. During the first round of negotiations on September 7, the party submitted six proposals to the government, while insisting that its protests would continue until meaningful relief was provided.

However, the negotiations failed to resolve the dispute. On September 12, the JI chief announced a long march towards Islamabad for September 20, warning that the party would intensify its campaign if the government did not abolish the levy.

Also Read: JI launches third phase of protest campaign against petroleum levy

The march began on September 20, with participants travelling from Karachi by train. The caravan moved through Sukkur towards Multan, where Naeem addressed supporters. The march was subsequently suspended after PM Shehbaz telephoned the JI chief and requested that the party postpone its protest to allow further negotiations.

JI agreed to give the government an opportunity for talks but maintained that it had not abandoned its demand. The party’s position was that negotiations and protests could continue simultaneously, with any agreement required to address the complete abolition of the levy.

The JI chief then gave the government 10 days to abolish the petroleum levy and provide meaningful relief to the inflation-hit public, warning that his party would resume its long march towards Islamabad in mid-November if its demands were not met.