‘Don’t Test Public Patience’: JI Emir Warns Govt Over Fuel Levy

‘Don’t Test Public Patience’: JI Emir Warns Govt Over Fuel Levy

LAHORE, Aug 25: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has warned the government that growing public anger over inflation, fuel prices and taxes could trigger a situation the rulers would struggle to control, urging them to immediately abolish the petroleum levy and provide relief to the people.
Addressing participants of the JI sit-in outside the Punjab CM House on its 10th day, Rehman said the JI would continue its democratic struggle until its demands were accepted and would expand the protest movement across the country.
“If people come onto the streets, the rulers will not be able to control the situation,” he warned, saying the government should understand the public mood instead of testing their patience.
He said JI sit-ins in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar were continuing, while a protest camp had also been underway in Hyderabad for three days. He announced that sit-ins would begin in Balochistan from August 29.
“Our sit-ins have become a centre of hope for the nation,” Rehman said, adding that repeated reactions from government ministers showed that the campaign was having an impact.
JI Vice Emir Dr Osama Razi, Central Punjab Emir Javed Qasoori, Sheikhupura Emir Zahid Imran Korotana and Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba South Punjab Nazim Huzaifa Usman also addressed the gathering. Acting Secretary General Nazir Ahmed Janjua, Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari and Information Secretary Shakil Ahmed Turabi were also present.
The JI emir announced public gatherings in Faisalabad on August 28 and Rawalpindi on August 30. A major youth programme will be held in Lahore on Thursday, where he said he would announce the date for a nationwide strike. JI will also mark its foundation day on August 26 at the Lahore sit-in, while Eid Milad-un-Nabi celebrations will be held at the protest camp.
The JI chief said large numbers of people were participating in the sit-ins in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar despite severe heat. He added that protest camps against the petroleum levy and inflation were also continuing in several cities of interior Sindh and Islamabad.
The JI leader urged people who could not physically join the sit-ins to support the campaign on social media and take the message of public rights to their neighbourhoods.
Taking aim at the government over fuel prices, he said the authorities repeatedly justified increases by citing international oil prices. He said that the international price of crude had fallen by $2 per barrel the previous day, yet petrol prices in Pakistan had been increased by 50 paisas.
He questioned why consumers were being forced to pay more when global prices had declined.
Rehman said the ruling elite invoked the IMF to justify retaining the petroleum levy, but would blame the IMF if public anger spilled onto the streets.
“End the levy straightforwardly. Why do you want to remove it only after humiliation?” he asked.
He also criticised the government for using the global war situation as a justification for raising fuel prices, while saying that the Punjab government had purchased an aircraft worth Rs11 billion during the same period.
“Understand the problems of the people, otherwise the situation will worsen,” he warned.
Turning to the power sector, Rehman said the government had claimed two years ago that negotiations with IPPs were impossible, but had entered talks with them after JI launched its protests.
He said that the JI campaign had contributed to electricity becoming Rs10 to Rs16 per unit cheaper for consumers. He also criticised different gas pricing regimes for ordinary and privileged industrial consumers, saying such double standards could not continue indefinitely.
He also criticised the Punjab government’s handling of agriculture, saying farmers were not receiving fair prices for wheat while intermediaries and vested interests benefited from the system. He said that the sugar mafia was also working in collusion with the government. He called for a forensic audit of the relevant sectors, saying it would expose those benefiting from the system. Rehman said JI was an ideological movement and urged its supporters to prepare for a broader struggle. “Pakistan belongs to us, and it must have a system based on justice and fairness,” he said.
He said protest camps were being established in several parts of interior Sindh, while people from different districts of Punjab were travelling to Lahore to join the sit-in. Camps would also be established in southern Punjab, he added.