JI rejects daily fuel price mechanism

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has rejected the federal government's decision to determine petroleum product prices on a daily basis and announced a nationwide protest on August 7 under the leadership of party chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.

Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, Jamaat-e-Islami Central Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ameer Abdul Wasi, accompanied by Provincial General Secretary Sabir Hussain Awan, said the party had already launched a protest movement against the government's recent decisions.

He said petroleum prices were previously fixed in the annual budget but the pricing mechanism had gradually shifted from annual to monthly, fortnightly, weekly, and now daily revisions. He criticised the government for transferring all pricing powers to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), saying the regulator was not directly accountable to the public.

Abdul Wasi argued that the new system had created uncertainty and recalled that during the recent Iran-US conflict, petroleum prices had risen sharply, placing an unbearable burden on consumers. He said students, government employees, and ordinary citizens were the worst affected by fuel price increases and demanded that the government immediately withdraw the daily pricing policy.

The JI leader also announced full support for the Petroleum Dealers Association's strike call and said protest demonstrations would be held across Pakistan on August 7, adding that ambulances would be allowed unhindered passage during the demonstrations.

Criticising both the government and the opposition, he alleged that they were united in protecting their own interests while ignoring public concerns, claiming they were on the same page both inside and outside parliament.

Commenting on the recent rainfall in Peshawar, Abdul Wasi accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government of poor governance, saying a single spell of rain had exposed its development claims. He said roads and streets in the provincial capital resembled ponds, causing an estimated loss of Rs1 billion to traders, while the government remained silent.