Multan (The COW News Digital)Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has announced that it will temporarily defer its planned long march in Islamabad until Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returns to Pakistan.
JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman made the announcement during a press conference in Multan, saying the party had decided to postpone the march following a request from the prime minister.
According to Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif contacted him and requested that the planned march be deferred until his return to the country. The prime minister reportedly assured the JI leadership that he would meet them after returning to Pakistan and discuss the issue of petroleum levy.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the decision followed detailed consultations within the party. He made it clear, however, that postponing the march did not mean Jamaat-e-Islami was abandoning its protest movement.
The JI chief said the party would continue its campaign against what it describes as excessive taxes and increased prices of petroleum products. He argued that rising fuel prices were contributing to higher costs across the economy and placing an additional burden on ordinary citizens.
He said Jamaat-e-Islami had already held several rounds of meetings with government ministers before announcing the protest campaign. According to him, the relief measures offered by the government were insufficient to address the concerns raised by the party.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the government had cited the International Monetary Fund programme as a reason for its inability to reduce the petroleum levy. He questioned how the party could end its protest if the government could not remove or reduce what he called unjustified taxes on petroleum products.
He said the party had no personal or political agenda behind the protest and maintained that its demands were linked to the economic difficulties being faced by the public.
The JI leader also referred to the party’s previous shutter-down strike, saying the protest had created pressure on the government. He added that the party had presented several proposals to the authorities aimed at reducing petroleum prices.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said Jamaat-e-Islami would hold talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after his return to Pakistan. However, he stressed that the party would seek a written assurance from the government regarding its demands.
The announcement means the planned Islamabad long march has been deferred for the time being, while the party’s broader protest campaign remains in place. Further decisions are expected after the JI leadership meets the prime minister and discusses the petroleum levy and related demands.
