Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman Warns Govt Against High-Handed Tactics

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has warned the government to stop high-handed tactics and said the JI’s campaign against the petroleum levy would continue despite restrictions and roadblocks.

Addressing a public meeting on Wahdat Road in Lahore on Friday, he said containers and restrictions could not stop the JI from pursuing its demands, adding that the Islamabad march would resume from the points where its caravans had been halted.

“We have not left the field. We are here with full strength and determination,” he said, adding that the struggle for the rights of the people would continue.

JI Vice Emir Liaquat Baloch, Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari, JI Punjab Central Emir Javed Kasuri and acting secretary general of the women’s wing Samina Saeed also addressed the gathering.

Acting Secretary General Nazir Ahmad Janjua, deputy secretaries Azhar Iqbal Hasan and Sheikh Usman Farooq, JI Emir’s adviser Dr Farid Ahmad Paracha and Information Secretary Shakil Ahmad Turabi were also present.

Before the meeting began, Punjab Police and the provincial administration placed barriers on both sides of the road and stopped JI workers from reaching the venue. Chairs arranged for the gathering were also removed, while barriers remained despite protests by JI leaders and workers.

Mobile signal jammers installed by the administration also prevented Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman’s speech from being livestreamed on social media.

JI leaders condemned the government’s undemocratic approach, saying peaceful protest was a constitutional right and that restrictions could not prevent people from raising their demands.

Rehman said the Islamabad long march had only been postponed for a few days and the JI would not compromise on its demand for the withdrawal of the petroleum levy.

He said JI would wait for the outcome of talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, but if the people were not given relief, its caravans would head towards Islamabad. Women would also join the march, he said, adding that containers could not stop a public flood.

The JI emir demanded an end to the petroleum levy and a reduction in petrol prices. He said the campaign had introduced a new political theme by focusing on public issues.

“Today, everyone is calling the petroleum levy a ‘bhatta’ imposed on the people,” he said, adding that the public would not accept the burden.

Rehman also criticised political parties over the petroleum levy and payments to independent power producers (IPPs). He said that political parties were linked to vested interests and said the people were enduring oppression while political parties pursued cult politics.

He said that the government was paying IPPs even for electricity that was not being generated. He called for an end to interest-based financing and payments to IPPs.

The JI emir also criticised government spending, saying rulers should end their luxuries instead of asking the public to make sacrifices.

He praised the participation of a large number of JI workers and citizens, particularly women, despite the restrictions and barriers, and reiterated the JI’s resolve to continue its struggle against the outdated system.