Jamaat-e-Islami to begin Islamabad long march by train today

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has announced that the party will begin its long march towards Islamabad by train on Sunday as part of its campaign against the government’s petroleum levy and other public issues.

Addressing participants at the JI sit-in in Karachi, Hafiz Naeem said the Islamabad-bound march would begin from Karachi and caravans from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh would join the movement along the way.

He urged supporters to participate in the campaign and said the party would continue raising issues affecting ordinary citizens. He also criticised what he described as a nexus of powerful interest groups exploiting the public.

Hafiz Naeem alleged that the sugar, flour, independent power producer and banking sectors were working together in ways that placed an additional burden on the people. He called for measures to protect consumers and address rising costs.

JI Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch also confirmed that the party’s “super long march” would begin from Karachi under Hafiz Naeem’s leadership.

Speaking to the media after the conclusion of the fifth round of talks with the government team, Liaquat Baloch said the party had decided to proceed with its planned mobilisation.

The announcement came after weeks of protests by the JI in Karachi against the petroleum levy. The party had maintained a sit-in outside the Governor House for 35 days, demanding relief for consumers and changes to government policies affecting fuel prices.

The Karachi sit-in has now been called off as the party shifts its focus towards the Islamabad march.

The JI has been pressing the government on a number of economic issues, particularly the impact of fuel prices and taxation on households and businesses. The party has also demanded action against groups it says are responsible for increasing the cost of essential goods and services.

The government and JI held several rounds of negotiations in an attempt to address the party’s demands. However, the talks have so far failed to produce an agreement that would prevent the planned march.