Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman on Friday warned the government of a nationwide wheel-jam strike and shutter-down protest if the petroleum levy was not withdrawn.
He said the JI would block roads across the country against anti-people policies of the rulers.
Addressing a major protest demonstration at Aabpara Chowk in Islamabad against the increase in petroleum prices, the Jamaat-e-Islami chief announced that the party would challenge the petroleum levy in the Constitutional Court on May 18.
“The rulers must stop squeezing the blood of the people,” he said, adding the government is burdening the masses with excessive taxation while protecting the interests of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and the elite.
Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman Address:
Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said the anti-inflation movement had formally begun from Islamabad, adding that large public gatherings would be held in Chitral on Saturday and in Upper Dir the following day. He said the party would soon announce a future course of action regarding a countrywide strike after consultations, adding that the protest campaign would intensify further after Eid.
The Jamaat-e-Islami chief said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had collected Rs8,066 billion through the petroleum levy. But rulers had not spent even Rs100 billion on petroleum infrastructure improvement.
He said the government had extracted nearly Rs6,000 billion from motorcycle users alone through the levy. He added the ruling elite is using tax money for luxuries and to fill the pockets of IPP owners.
Rehman warned the government against any further increase in fuel prices. He said some ministers had already hinted at another hike. “The rulers should refrain from such decisions, otherwise public anger may not even give them a chance to flee like Sheikh Hasina,” he remarked. Rehman was referring to former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Petrolium Levy and IPPs:
He criticised the government’s economic policies. Rehman said that Rs3,400 billion collected from taxpayers had been handed over to IPP owners. He said the federal and Punjab governments are spending public money on self-promotion. They, he added, did not address core issues such as education, health and agriculture. He said that nearly 27.5 million children in Pakistan were out of school. They include 10 million in Punjab. Schools and basic health centres, he said, were being privatised or renamed under political branding campaigns.
The Jamaat-e-Islami chief further said that Pakistan’s agricultural growth rate had fallen sharply. He criticised the government for failing to procure wheat from farmers at the officially announced support price. Rehman said ordinary people were unable to access affordable flour. Sugar mill owners, he said. continued to expand their businesses.
Rehman said that out of the Rs415 per litre petrol price, Rs120 was being charged under petroleum levy. And another Rs50 under different taxes. He also criticised taxes imposed on electricity bills, gas and solar energy systems. Rehman demanded that the government immediately withdraw all oppressive measures.
The JI chief called for systemic change. He urged the public to prepare for a major struggle against the prevailing order.
