Jamaat-e-Islami leader Rehman does not rule out march on Islamabad — Dawn
In Pakistan, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that the possibility of a march on Islamabad remains open until the government abolishes the levy on petroleum products. According to him, the party suspended the march for only a few days at the request of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
As Dawn reports, Rehman said that after the prime minister returns to Pakistan, he plans to meet with him. The party's further actions will depend on the outcome of this meeting. He also warned that the protest campaign would be expanded if the government does not provide relief.
Demand to abolish the levy
The head of Jamaat-e-Islami said that the government must abolish the levy on petroleum products; otherwise, people will demand the authorities' resignation. He rejected the government's argument that the levy is necessary to meet the requirements of the International Monetary Fund.
According to Rehman, the IMF agreement does not require revenue collection targets to be met specifically through a levy on petroleum products. He called for cutting government spending and expanding the tax base. The politician also said that consumers pay about 140 Pakistani rupees in taxes on every litre of petrol.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Course of the protests
Jamaat-e-Islami has been holding protests against the levy on petroleum products since August. Before the start of sit-in protests, the party blocked roads at 510 locations, and on August 16 it began sit-in protests at 42 locations across the country.
On September 20, the campaign expanded with a train march towards Islamabad. Following a telephone conversation between Rehman and Shehbaz Sharif, the march was suspended. At the same time, the party intends to continue other protest activities and hold public gatherings, including in Lahore.
Rehman also said that the party had held several rounds of talks with the government and presented its proposals, but had not received a convincing response. He said that cutting the interest rate by three percentage points could save the state treasury more than 1.5 trillion Pakistani rupees. Among the party's other demands are taxing large landowners, ending capacity payments to independent power producers, and combating corruption in the Federal Board of Revenue.
