LAHORE – Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday warned the government that his party would turn its ongoing protests into a nationwide movement, including a shutter-down strike and a possible march on Islamabad, if the Rs80-per-litre petroleum levy on petrol was not withdrawn.
Addressing a press conference at the JI sit-in in Lahore, he said protests in Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi had entered their eighth day and would continue until the government abolished the levy. He announced protest camps across the country, a nationwide shutter-down strike on 13 Rabi-ul-Awwal and, if necessary, a march towards Islamabad.
“The rulers are squeezing the blood out of the people through taxes and levies,” he said, accusing the government of protecting the privileges of the ruling elite while shifting the burden onto ordinary citizens.
Hafiz Naeem claimed public pressure had forced the government to reduce diesel prices by Rs32 per litre. He alleged that oil mafias were making excessive profits and criticised the government for increasing petroleum prices despite war and economic difficulties.
He also accused the government and sugar mafia of manipulating the sugar market. He said 765,000 tonnes of sugar had been imported without taxes in collusion with vested interests, while prices continued to rise. He questioned why sugar was now being exported at lower rates despite a reported surplus.
The JI chief said prices of flour, pulses and vegetables had also become unaffordable, while farmers faced uncertainty because of alleged refusal by sugar mills to purchase their crops. He said Punjab had failed to achieve even half of its cotton production target.
He criticised the federal and Punjab governments for imposing a heavy tax burden while retaining official privileges and lavish expenditure. He claimed motorists were paying around Rs130 per litre in taxes on petrol, including an Rs80 petroleum levy.
Hafiz Naeem rejected the government’s committee formed to examine petroleum prices, saying JI wanted a concrete proposal rather than briefings. “The sit-ins will continue until the petroleum levy is abolished,” he said.
Defending the protests, he said the JI campaign was peaceful and aimed at highlighting public grievances rather than achieving political gains. He claimed the party was in contact with other political forces but remained the only one consistently raising economic issues affecting the public.
He also urged politicians to apologise to the nation for past attempts to destabilise governments at the behest of others.
On PTI founder Imran Khan, Hafiz Naeem said the government should comply with any judicial decision granting him medical relief and ensure that he received necessary treatment and facilities.
