- PM asks JI to postpone Islamabad march until his return to Pakistan.
- Naeem says JI wants no confrontation with govt or law and order situation.
- Says party will consult Shura before responding to PM’s request.
MULTAN/NEW YORK: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday, just as the party’s train march against the petroleum levy pulled into Multan, appealing to the party to hold off its protest until he returns to the country, according to a JI spokesperson.
The prime minister made the request after the JI emir reached Multan, leading the party’s train march towards the federal capital.
PM Shehbaz also said he was ready to hold meaningful talks with the JI on the petroleum levy after returning to Pakistan, the spokesperson said.
Hafiz Naeem told the prime minister that the party did not seek any law and order problem or confrontation with the government.
However, he said the JI had taken to the streets to raise public concerns and the government would have to respect its right to protest.
The JI emir said the party would consult its Shura, the party’s central decision-making council, before responding to the prime minister’s request to postpone the march.
He added that even if the march was postponed at the government’s request, the party would not give up its right to protest.
JI train march reaches Multan
The JI’s train march against the petroleum levy reached Multan late Monday night, with Hafiz Naeem addressing supporters at the railway station.
The JI emir said the train had been delayed for four hours but the delay had not stopped supporters from turning out to welcome the march.
“Those who conspired should see how many people came out to welcome us in Multan,” he said.
Hafiz Naeem said people were also coming out in parts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, adding that the march would now move through southern Punjab before entering central Punjab.
Addressing the government, he said its containers would not stop the march.
He reiterated the JI’s demand that the government withdraw what the party describes as an unfair tax on petroleum products and provide relief to the public.
“If you provide relief to the people, we have no issue of ego,” Hafiz Naeem said.
JI says public issues behind protest
The JI emir said the party was raising the concerns of poor and middle-class people, arguing that political parties were not adequately addressing issues affecting ordinary citizens.
He cited the prices of wheat, flour and sugar as examples of the economic pressures facing consumers.
Hafiz Naeem alleged that flour and sugar mafias had influence within political parties and criticised what he described as inconsistent government policies on sugar imports and exports.
He also recalled the JI’s campaign over agreements with independent power producers, saying the party had represented the public’s interests in that matter as well.
The JI, on Sunday, launched its long march from Karachi against the petroleum levy, with the campaign eventually moving towards Islamabad through a series of train and road journeys.
The party has held protests in cities across the country and previously engaged in several rounds of talks with the federal government over its demands.
After reaching Multan, the JI caravan is scheduled to continue towards Lahore before the final phase of the march to Islamabad.
