Jamaat-e-Islami to hold long March against Petroleum Levy: Hafiz Naeem

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said that the party’s long march against the petroleum levy

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said that the party’s long march against the petroleum levy and what he termed a “tax on the public” would be held at all costs.

Talking to journalists informally, Hafiz Naeem said the party had not yet decided from which city the long march would begin, though Lahore had been proposed as its starting point.

He said the sit-in in Islamabad would not be limited to a single day, adding that negotiations with the government were still under way and more time was required to resolve the issues.

“The public opinion on the petroleum levy is also the opinion of Jamaat-e-Islami,” he said, adding that the party’s long march was aimed solely at securing relief for the people.

Hafiz Naeem said a key JI meeting on the long march would be held today. He added that if the government reduced the petroleum levy, the party would review its decision regarding the sit-in.

He criticised the government’s proposed measures, saying that whenever the JI presented a proposal, the government delegation responded that it was not possible to implement it. He also described the prime minister’s petrol relief package as “another drama.”

The JI emir rejected allegations that his party was a “B-team” of the government or the establishment, saying Jamaat-e-Islami had never remained close to the establishment. He said those accusing the JI of being a government B-team should also consider what benefits the party had received from the government.

Hafiz Naeem stressed that the long march was not intended to create chaos or disorder, but to seek relief for the people.

On the issue of new provinces, he said he supported the creation of provinces but added that the necessary infrastructure and administrative requirements had to be taken into consideration.

He further said that local governments were effectively absent from the system within the provinces and called for an effective local government structure.