JI rejects petrol relief package, warns of Islamabad march

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch has rejected the government’s petrol relief package, saying temporary relief measures cannot replace the abolition of the petroleum levy.

In a statement issued from Lahore, Baloch said any impression created through the government’s official statement that the JI had welcomed the relief measures was “incorrect and baseless”. He maintained that the party had clearly conveyed its position during negotiations with the government.

Baloch said the relief package could not be considered an alternative to ending the petroleum levy. He added that the JI had made its position clear during the talks that it would not accept what he described as artificial or temporary measures.

The JI leader said the government’s relief measures would not provide any meaningful benefit to the public unless the petroleum levy was withdrawn. He stressed that consumers were already facing a heavy financial burden because of high fuel prices and related increases in the cost of transportation and essential commodities.

“The relief can never be a substitute for the abolition of the petroleum levy,” Baloch said, reiterating the party’s demand for a permanent reduction in fuel prices.

The development comes after a delegation led by Baloch held talks with the government on issues related to the petroleum levy and fuel prices. The government team briefed the JI delegation on the petroleum sector, fuel supplies and the mechanism used to determine petroleum prices.

The government has defended its targeted petrol relief scheme, under which eligible motorcyclists, rickshaw and Chingchi drivers and owners of vehicles up to 800cc are being offered a discount of Rs100 per litre within specified monthly limits. The government says targeted subsidies are intended to direct relief towards vulnerable sections of society.

However, the JI has maintained that a permanent solution requires the abolition or substantial reduction of the petroleum levy rather than temporary subsidies. The party had already submitted proposals to the government during earlier rounds of negotiations and has continued its campaign against the levy.

Baloch warned that if the government failed to withdraw the petroleum levy, the JI would proceed with its planned march towards Islamabad. The party has previously announced September 20 as the date for the march if its demands for relief are not accepted.

The JI has been holding protests and sit-ins against the petroleum levy in different parts of the country, demanding immediate relief for consumers. The party has also called for broader measures to reduce the burden of rising fuel costs on the public.