JI Emir announces nationwide road blockade against petroleum levy

JI Emir announces nationwide road blockade against petroleum levy

LAHORE, July 21: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman on Tuesday announced a nationwide highway blockade and sit-ins on August 7 as part of the second phase of the JI’s anti-petroleum levy and anti-inflation campaign, demanding the immediate abolition of the petroleum levy, cancellation of costly IPP agreements, and measures to curb inflation and power outages.
Addressing a press conference at Mansoorah, he said JI workers and supporters would stage sit-ins on roads connecting all districts across the country, adding that only ambulances would be allowed to pass.
To mobilize public support ahead of the protest, the JI would hold 20,000 corner meetings nationwide before August 7, he announced.
The JI Emir warned the government against using undemocratic tactics to suppress the protest movement, saying any such action would transform the anti-inflation campaign into a movement aimed at bringing down the government.
JI Deputy Secretaries Nazir Janjua, Waqas Jafri, Azhar Iqbal Hassan, Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari and Information Secretary Shakil Ahmed Turabi were also present at the press conference.
Rehman urged the government to immediately abolish the petroleum levy, scrap expensive IPP contracts and take effective measures to end electricity load-shedding. He also called on provincial governments to restore food prices to the levels prevailing before the Iran-US conflict.
Criticizing the government's decision to allow the Ogra to adjust petroleum prices on a daily basis, he termed the move deceptive and questioned what authority Ogra had over the petroleum levy and other taxes imposed on every litre of fuel.
He said that the government was extorting the public through the petroleum levy, adding that if the levy and other taxes were abolished, the retail price of petrol would fall below Rs200 per litre. Instead of burdening citizens, he said, the rulers should reduce their own privileges and extravagant expenditures.
Calling on the public to participate in the August 7 demonstrations, Rehman urged young people to bring their motorcycles onto the roads to strengthen the blockade, reiterating that highways connecting all districts would remain closed except for emergency ambulances.
Turning to broader governance issues, the JI chief criticized the performance of provincial governments, saying poverty in Punjab had increased by 41 percent over the past six years. He said Maryam Nawaz sold 11,000 schools and purchased for herself an aircraft worth Rs11 billion. He also criticized lawmakers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sayibg they had passed legislation granting themselves unlimited benefits.
He described the PPP as the establishment's "A-plus team," asking Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to tell the people who was in government in AJK before issuing statements and befooling public.
Expressing concern over the deteriorating security situation in KP, particularly its southern districts, and Balochistan, Rehman urged the government to pursue dialogue to resolve ongoing challenges. He said JI was engaging various stakeholders on the Balochistan issue and hoped a grand jirga would be convened soon.
Welcoming reports of negotiations between state institutions and the Joint Action Committee in Azad Kashmir, he said JI had consistently advocated dialogue to resolve the crisis and had itself made efforts to facilitate talks. However, he said the government had not responded to the JI’s initiatives.
Rehman said the second phase of JI's protest campaign had been launched after internal consultations and would continue until the public demands were met. He added that the party would engage religious scholars, traders, lawyers, students, civil society and other segments of society to broaden support for the movement.