Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman to Govt: Scrap Levy or Face Millions in Islamabad

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has said the government is misleading the public over petroleum prices and warned that millions of people would march on Islamabad if the petroleum levy was not abolished.

Addressing a public gathering in Buner on Friday, he termed the government’s relief package inadequate and demanded an end to an “extortion tax” imposed on consumers through the petroleum levy.

“We believe in political engagement and negotiations, but we have already made everything clear during several rounds of talks with the government,” Rehman said. “The government’s time is running out. Whether the prime minister meets us or not, the levy must be abolished.”

He said the JI was prepared for a prolonged struggle and a lengthy sit-in in Islamabad if the government failed to provide relief.

“Our struggle is not for any personal agenda. It is for the rights of the people,” he said, adding that the JI’s movement was aimed at securing the rights of 250 million Pakistanis rather than serving any political leader or family.

The JI leader said the government claimed to be acting under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), while continuing lavish spending by the ruling elite.

“The rulers have put the yoke of the IMF around their necks and use its name to take money from the pockets of the poor, but they are unwilling to cut their own extravagance,” he said. He added that the IMF had never asked the government to impose a petroleum levy on the public.

The JI chief said his party’s protest movement had changed the political debate by forcing political parties to address public issues. He said that powerful interest groups controlled sectors including sugar, flour, petroleum and land and added such groups had remained influential under successive military and civilian governments.

He also criticised a nexus between major political parties and powerful interest groups, saying people had now begun to understand the system.

On petroleum pricing, Rehman questioned the justification for imposing the levy and climate support levy on consumers. He said the government was collecting billions of rupees from the public but had failed to improve refineries or take adequate measures for environmental protection.

He said the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) failed to fulfil its responsibilities and added that Rs1.3 trillion was lost annually through corruption in the tax-collection system.

The JI leader further criticised spending on official aircraft and bulletproof vehicles, saying the government should first eliminate its own extravagance instead of placing additional financial burdens on citizens.

“This is a mafia-based system, and Jamaat-e-Islami’s struggle is against this system,” he said.

He made it clear that the JI would not seek an alliance with any political party, saying it would instead ally with the peopl and continue its campaign for public rights.

JI KP North Emir Inayatullah Khan, provincial general secretary Haleem Bacha, district emir Engineer Nasir Ali and former provincial assembly speaker Bakht Jahan also addressed the gathering.