Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has reiterated his demand for the abolition of the petroleum levy, saying the public does not need temporary or charity based relief but wants what he described as its rightful economic relief, reported 24newsHD TV channel.
Addressing a press conference at a JI protest camp in Karachi on Monday, Hafiz Naeem said the party had not withdrawn from its campaign over inflation, high petrol prices, electricity issues and other public concerns.
He said the rising cost of petrol had made life increasingly difficult for ordinary citizens, while prolonged gas load-shedding had added to their hardships.
Rejecting the government’s petrol subsidy initiative, the JI chief said, “We do not want cheap petrol through a charity scheme. We want our right.” He called for the petroleum levy to be abolished, describing it as an additional burden on consumers.
The JI has been campaigning against the petroleum levy through protest camps and demonstrations across the country. The party has maintained that the levy should be withdrawn rather than replaced with temporary relief measures. The government and JI have also held talks on proposals aimed at reducing the petroleum levy.
Speaking about the protest camps, Hafiz Naeem said they were not only platforms for demonstrations but also a means of gathering public opinion. He urged party workers to visit people individually and collect their views on the issues affecting them.
He claimed that inflation had made it difficult for people to meet their basic needs, while traders and ordinary citizens were experiencing the impact of rising costs.
“The world is moving forward and this is the era of AI, but people are being kept away from basic facilities,” he said.
The JI chief also highlighted his party’s past campaigns over electricity prices and agreements with independent power producers (IPPs), claiming that the party had raised issues that other political groups had avoided addressing.
Hafiz Naeem further called for discussions on IPP agreements and said electricity prices should also be reduced. Turning to the wider economic situation, he argued that Pakistan’s geographical position and resources gave the country economic potential, while criticising successive governments for what he described as policies that placed a disproportionate burden on the public.
He also criticised the Punjab government over its education policies, alleging that thousands of schools had been moved towards privatisation and that the public education system had suffered as a result.
Hafiz Naeem called for an end to what he described as 'mafias' controlling different sectors and urged citizens to actively voice their concerns. The JI chief has continued to maintain pressure on the government over the petroleum levy as the party’s nationwide protest campaign progresses.