JI will not block roads during long march: Hafiz Naeem

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has said the party’s long march will reach Islamabad on September 23 and 24, while stressing that roads will not be blocked during the protest, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Friday.

Speaking at a news conference at the Jamaat-e-Islami’s central office in Islamabad, Hafiz Naeem said people were suffering because of rising petroleum prices. He described the government’s Rs26 billion relief package as insufficient and said it had been announced without proper preparation.

According to Hafiz Naeem, several points had been accepted during talks with the government, but they had not been implemented. He said that if the government had any way of providing relief, it should hold talks immediately.

The Jamaat-e-Islami chief also criticised the way petroleum prices were being adjusted. He said the government had started earning more when oil prices increased in the international market, but prices of petroleum products in Pakistan had not fallen by the same proportion when global oil prices declined.

He said that following the US attack on Iran in February, the government should have immediately held discussions with oil refineries. He also said the International Monetary Fund called for taxes to be imposed on landlords, but claimed that this was not being implemented while heavy taxes were being imposed on ordinary citizens.

He said a one-percentage-point reduction in the interest rate could save Rs574 billion. He further claimed that implementing the Jamaat-e-Islami’s proposals could result in savings of between Rs3,000 billion and Rs4,000 billion.

He said the Jamaat-e-Islami was in contact with the Farmers’ Alliance and had also been in contact with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Hafiz Naeem said the latter had supported the Jamaat-e-Islami and that his party would also support its protests.

Hafiz Naeem announced that the long march would begin on September 20, with convoys reaching Islamabad on September 23 and 24. He said the party had written to the government seeking permission for the march.

He made clear that the Jamaat-e-Islami was coming to Islamabad to seek relief for the public, not to confront anyone, and that roads would not be blocked.

Regarding students appearing for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test, Hafiz Naeem said the Jamaat-e-Islami wanted the examination to take place and that there would be no obstruction to it.

Earlier today, Jamaat-e-Islami's spokesperson announced the schedule for its “super long march” against the petroleum levy, with the protest set to begin from Karachi on September 20.

According to him, the march will start in the form of a train journey from Karachi on September 20 and reach Multan on September 21.

On September 22, the participants will leave Multan for Lahore in road convoys as part of the next stage of the protest.

The super long march will then leave Lahore on September 23 and enter Islamabad via the Grand Trunk Road.

The spokesman said the sit-in that had been continuing at Faisal Chowk in Lahore had been ended to allow the party to focus on preparations for the super long march.