Govt ready to consider JI proposals for public relief: Rana Sanaullah
Adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah, said on Thursday that the government was ready to consider proposals from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) aimed at providing relief to the public amid rising inflation and oil prices.
Speaking after a meeting with JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman and his colleagues, Sanaullah said the government appreciated the party’s efforts to reduce inflation and provide relief to ordinary people. “The purpose of the Jamaat-e-Islami is to reduce inflation and to give relief to the common people,” he said.
Sanaullah further said the government remained focused on reducing the burden on the public from inflation, the US-Iran war and rising oil prices.
He shared that the JI delegation had presented proposals that could help the government provide relief to the public. “We have welcomed them and thanked them. Mr Hafiz will tell you in detail. The government is ready to do this,” he added.
He also said a similar process had taken place in the electricity sector, where, according to him, prices had fallen following JI’s concerns and proposals.
Sanaullah maintained that officials from the Federal Board of Revenue, finance and petroleum ministries should sit with the JI team and examine the proposals. “If we can reach a conclusion, and if the common people can get relief from it, I believe that this is what we want, and this is what the Jamaat-e-Islami is trying to do,” he added.
JI forms technical team
Rehman, speaking after the meeting, said the JI had discussed several issues with the government and announced the formation of a technical team to examine the petroleum levy and other demands. “Today is the 19th day of our protests,” he said, adding that demonstrations that had started at three locations were now being held at “15-20 places”, with participation increasing.
He said the protests were not being organised for a personal or political agenda but over issues affecting the public, particularly inflation. “This is our agenda. Along with the big issues, there are also the everyday issues, such as inflation. Every man, woman and child is suffering from it,” he added.
He criticised the petroleum levy, saying a motorcyclist was paying 35% in taxes per litre, including a levy of Rs80 or Rs85.
According to Rehman, the levy had originally been introduced to increase refinery and storage capacity and reduce the country’s import bill. He claimed that about Rs8 trillion had accumulated through the levy since its introduction.
Rehman also raised concerns over capacity payments and agreements related to regasification plants, saying the country was making payments even when gas was not being received.
He said the JI had proposed reducing the petroleum levy and fuel prices, renegotiating more agreements with independent power producers, and making naan available to poorer people at Rs10. “These are our serious demands. But primarily, we think that levy for petroleum should also be stopped. And the price should also be reduced,” he said.
Rehman stated that JI had formed a technical team led by Liaquat Baloch, with Naveed Ali Baig, Ziauddin Ansari, Nasrullah Randhawa and Faisal Shah also included. “These people will sit here, God willing. We will talk in terms of numbers,” he said.
He added that the party also wanted the government to resume negotiations with more IPPs, arguing that earlier efforts had helped reduce electricity prices.
Rehman further said the party understood the country’s economic, law and order and international situation, but maintained that its demands were aimed at providing relief to the public.
He also referred to the government’s decision to reduce the price of diesel by Rs30 following discussions in Karachi, saying the JI would present its findings on petroleum pricing. “We never make unlawful demands. We also understand the situation of the country. We understand law and order. We understand international affairs,” he maintained.
Rehman concluded that protests and strikes were continuing in several cities and thanked citizens and traders for supporting the JI’s call. “In many cities, Alhamdulillah, there was a complete strike. I thank the Pakistani citizens and merchants for this,” he added.
JI strike over petroleum levy shuts hundreds of markets in Karachi
A strike called by JI against the petroleum levy shut hundreds of markets and petrol pumps across Karachi on Thursday, while private schools and lawyers also supported the shutdown, JI Karachi Amir Monem Zafar Khan said.
Speaking at Regal Chowk in Saddar, Zafar said the traders’ strike in Karachi and across Pakistan had been “very successful”.
“Today, hundreds of markets and bazaars across Karachi are closed,” he said, adding that more than 300 small and large markets and petrol pumps had shut in response to the strike. He said the lawyers’ community had also supported the strike and private schools were closed.
Criticising the petroleum levy, Zafar said, “Rs130 per litre as a levy tax is oppression. The levy in the name of tax is not acceptable.”
He said inflation was rising while business centres were facing 12 to 18 hours of power outages.
“Unjust load-shedding should end,” Zafar said, adding that rulers were provided free electricity, gas and petrol while levies were being imposed on the public.
He also called on the police and administration to stop what he described as improper actions and demanded the release of JI workers arrested in Lyari and Korangi.
Zafar said some disruptive elements had set tyres on fire but maintained that the strike across Pakistan remained peaceful. He said the sit-in was continuing and described the strike as “very successful”.
He added that the option of a long march towards Rawalpindi and Islamabad remained open, while the JI emir would announce the party’s future course of action.
Markets remain closed
In Karachi, most major markets and commercial centres observed a shutter-down strike.
Jodia Bazar observed a partial strike, while all mobile phone markets and electronics shops in Saddar were closed. Markets along MA Jinnah Road, Light House and Bolton Market were also shut.
Chemical Market, Timber Market and Steel Market remained closed, while partial strikes were reported in Orangi Town, Liaquatabad, Federal B Area, Nazimabad and Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
Gulbahar Sanitary Market was completely closed, while markets in Pak Colony and Qayyumabad, as well as marble and furniture markets, were also shut.
A partial strike was observed in Bohri Bazaar, Saddar and around Empress Market, while markets on Zaibunnisa Street and in Zainab Market were closed.
Around 10 to 15 per cent of petrol pumps in the city that had closed in the morning later reopened. Private and commercial traffic remained lower than normal.
In Islamabad, the capital’s business and commercial centres were partially closed following an appeal by the JI chief. Most shops in Super Market, Aabpara, G-8 and G-9, among other areas, remained closed as traders supported JI’s campaign against the petroleum levy.
In Rawalpindi, commercial activity continued in the city and cantonment areas, although some shops were reported closed in certain areas. The All Pakistan Traders Association had also announced its support for the strike.
In Lahore, business centres including Queens Road, Abid Market, Hall Road, Mall Road, Nisbat Road Market, Ferozepur Road and Brandreth Road were closed following the strike call.
JI also held a motorcycle rally from its sit-in site at Charing Cross. The rally passed through Railway Station, Brandreth Road, McLeod Road and Hall Road before returning to Charing Cross.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), a strike against the petroleum levy, inflation, unemployment and unrest was also underway.
JI staged a protest on Ashraf Road in Peshawar against increases in petroleum product prices, with local traders also taking part. Protesters chanted slogans against the government and rejected the levy on petrol and diesel.
However, implementation of the strike in Peshawar was partial, with shops open in most markets, including Qissa Khwani Bazaar, Saddar and University Road.
Lawyers across K-P also boycotted courts following a call by the provincial bar council. Lawyers did not appear before courts, including the Peshawar High Court, saying food and petroleum product prices were continuously increasing.