JI Emir Forms Committee for Mid-November Long March Against Levy
Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman chairing a meeting of the party’s central leadership in Lahore on Wednesday
LAHORE, October 28: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has formed a committee headed by Vice Emir Mian Muhammad Aslam to oversee preparations for the JI’s planned long march against the petroleum levy in mid-November.
Chairing a meeting of the party’s central leadership in Lahore on Wednesday, Rehman reiterated that the JI would not compromise on its demand for the complete abolition of the levy, which he described as an unjust tax burdening the poor.
The meeting reviewed arrangements for the long march and discussed the JI’s next course of action following Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman’s recent meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Briefing party leaders on the meeting with the prime minister, the JI emir said the party had made its position clear: the government must abolish the petroleum levy and provide relief to the public.
He said the prime minister had sought seven to 10 days to make a decision on the levy.
“The government has been clearly told that if relief is not provided to the people, Jamaat-e-Islami will launch a long march in mid-November,” Rehman said.
He added that the JI would continue negotiations with the government while simultaneously preparing for the march. Its signature campaign against the levy would also remain underway during this period.
The JI leader directed Mian Muhammad Aslam, who will head the newly formed committee, to ensure comprehensive preparations for the protest.
He said the JI would not abandon its demand for public relief, insisting that the petroleum levy was an unjust tax that placed an additional burden on poor households and must be abolished.
The meeting was attended by JI Vice Emirs Liaquat Baloch, Professor Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, Dr Ataur Rehman and Mian Muhammad Aslam, acting Secretary General Nazir Ahmad Janjua; Deputy Secretaries Azhar Iqbal Hasan, Syed Waqas Jafri, Sheikh Usman Farooq, Khalid Rehman, Rusal Khan Babar and Syed Firasat Shah; provincial party chiefs, and the JI emirs of Karachi and Lahore.
The Ji has maintained that negotiations with the government and preparations for the planned protest will proceed in parallel until a decision is reached on its demand for the levy’s abolition.