JI proposals could save Rs3-4 trillion, says Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman

ISLAMABAD, Sept 18: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said on Friday that the government could save Rs3 trillion to Rs4 trillion if it accepted the JI’s proposals, as he announced that a “super long march” would begin on September 20.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Rehman said petrol prices in Pakistan had increased several times more than in India and Bangladesh during the recent war situation, placing an unbearable burden on the public.

He said the government was announcing inadequate and showy relief packages instead of providing genuine relief to the people. He questioned why oil marketing companies were being allowed higher profits while consumers continued to face rising inflation.

The JI chief said increases in petroleum prices directly affected the middle and lower-income classes, as small cars were mostly used by ordinary households. He rejected the government’s justification that global market conditions and other factors were responsible for the price increases, saying the government was using higher taxes and levies to meet its revenue targets while refusing to cut unnecessary expenditure.

Rehman said the government should reduce the interest rate by three percentage points, arguing that even a one-percentage-point reduction could save Rs574 billion. He said the government was protecting banks’ profits and said the authorities should take steps to eliminate interest from the economy.

He also called for an end to capacity payments to independent power producers (IPPs) and regasification plants, saying the government should review such payments in the public interest.

“The petroleum levy must end, the IPP mafia must end and bread must become cheaper,” he said.

Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said JI’s campaign was not directed against any individual or political party but aimed at securing relief for the people. He said public participation in the movement was increasing and that the party was in contact with leaders of the farmers’ alliance as well as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He said PTI had supported JI’s movement and that JI also supported its protests.

Announcing details of the September 20 march, he said caravans would head towards Islamabad from different parts of the country, including Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh. Participants from Karachi would travel to the capital by train.

The JI emir said the government could hold talks immediately if it had a workable solution to public demands, but delaying tactics would not be accepted.

He assured citizens that JI would not block roads and that its September 20 activities would not create unnecessary difficulties for the public. He also said the party wanted the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) to be held and that its march would not obstruct students appearing for the examination. He said JI would bear all expenses of the long march itself.

JI Deputy Emir Mian Muhammad Aslam, Deputy Secretary Firasat Shah and Islamabad Emir Nasrullah Randhawa were also present at the press conference.