JI Emir calls for end to KP Governor Rule, warns of long march against levy

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman on Sunday said the PML-N and PPP undermined democracy by imposing governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the decision.

He warned that Jamaat-e-Islami would launch a long march from Multan if Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif failed to abolish the petroleum levy, saying the party would decide its future course of action at a consultation meeting at Mansoorah on Monday.

“Our demands are clear, and the decision rests with the government,” Rehman said while addressing a public gathering in Okara. JI Punjab Central Emir Javed Kasuri, provincial General Secretary Babar Rashid, district emir Salman Azhar Sheikh and Secretary General of the JI women’s wing Dr Humaira Tariq also addressed the gathering.

Rehman said the PML-N and PPP, key components of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), had harmed their own political interests by imposing governor’s rule and an emergency in KP. Such measures had never resolved political problems, he said, urging the government to withdraw the decision and return to negotiations. He said both parties were grown under the patronage of the establishment and added that their actions had brought discredit to democracy.

Criticising the PPP, the JI chief referred to the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) granted during Pervez Musharraf’s rule and recalled the imposition of governor’s rule in Punjab under Asif Ali Zardari. He said the PDM had brought about “regime change” through political horse-trading during no-confidence against Imran Khan.

The JI leader criticised the PML-N’s decades-long rule in Punjab, saying it damaged the education, health and agriculture sectors. He said farmers had been paid less than Rs3,000 per maund for wheat, while its price had now risen to Rs5,500 per maund and flour to Rs6,500 per maund. He said successive family-based governments and those who brought them to power pushed the country towards a crisis, questioning why the political system was now being described as dysfunctional by those who patronised corrupt leadership.

Turning to the petroleum levy campaign, Rehman said JI had raised its voice against public hardships when other political forces remained silent and had turned the issue into a nationwide movement.

He said the government had offered some relief on petrol prices following the party’s protests, but described it as insufficient. The entire petroleum levy must be abolished, he said, rejecting the government’s argument that it faced pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“If the government can spend billions on aircraft and luxuries, why does it invoke IMF pressure when it comes to providing relief to the people?” he asked.

Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said JI had earlier campaigned against independent power producers (IPPs), which were exploiting consumers. He urged party workers to continue their signature campaign and prepare for the next phase of peaceful protests.

He said the party would not call off its movement unless the government abolished the petroleum levy, adding that details of its next steps would be announced after Monday’s consultation at Mansoorah