Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Amir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman. Photo file
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday announced nationwide protests on July 10 against the oil tax, rising fuel prices, inflation and what he called the government’s ineffective economic policies.
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Rehman said the protests would continue until the government provides significant relief to the people. JI Deputy Emir Liaqat Baloch, JI Central Punjab Emir Muhammad Javed Kasuri and Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari flanked Rehman during the press conference.
The JI chief slammed the government’s overall management of the energy sector, saying that although the official price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was fixed at Rs 241 per kilogram, it was being sold in the market at around Rs 500/kg. He added that prolonged gas load shedding and high LPG prices were posing an additional burden on consumers.
“Affordable gas is vital for economic growth,” he stressed.
Referring to the government’s recent reduction in petrol prices, the JI leader termed the relief of Rs 1.97 per liter as “inadequate”.
He also termed the Rs 118 per liter compound tax and levy on petrol collected by the authorities as “extortion” and claimed that the government had collected around Rs 8.5 trillion, which was used to meet tax collection targets instead of improving energy supply infrastructure.
Rehman urged the public to speak out against what he described as an unfair system, saying the retail price of petrol should not exceed Rs225 per litre. He made a special appeal to young people to participate in Friday’s national protests.
The JI chief also questioned the collection of climate support tax on petroleum products and asked where he believed around Rs 60 billion collected under the tax had been spent.
He pointed out that the oil tax disproportionately affected low-income and middle-class citizens, including workers, students and motorcycle users, while influential landowners continued to evade the tax. He demanded immediate removal of the levy and reiterated that petrol prices should not exceed Rs225 per litre.
The JI chief further claimed that the government lacked a clear economic strategy and had failed to use the country’s natural resources “effectively”, while citing sub-optimal use of oil and mineral reserves as an example.
Criticizing the delay in the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project, he urged the government to restore trade with the neighboring country to help meet Pakistan’s energy demand and asserted that Iran had already completed its part of the work.
Commenting on the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Rehman claimed that the department was rife with corruption running into billions of rupees, and this burden of inefficiency was being passed on to the public.
Food and agriculture
While addressing other daily issues, the JI leader said the price of naan was also inconsistent in different parts of the city. He added that wheat was purchased from farmers at Rs 3,500 per maund while flour was sold at around Rs 5,600 per maund. The high cost of naan paid by consumers has not benefited farmers at all.
Sugar mills owned by politically influential groups had withheld Rs 1.5 billion from sugarcane farmers, Rehman added.
He also rejected the government’s decision to export sugar, arguing that it would lead to a rise in sugar prices.
“Cotton cultivation in Pakistan has also fallen to historic lows,” he lamented.
Rehman directly blamed the government for the deterioration of the agricultural sector, insisting that billions of rupees were being spent on publicity campaigns instead of tackling public problems.
Education, transport and social protection projects
On education, the JI Emir denounced the Punjab government’s decision to outsource 11,000 government schools. He said providing free and quality education was the constitutional responsibility of the government and maintained that education should be considered as Pakistan’s first national priority.
“More than 10 million children in Punjab are out of school and universities are not receiving adequate subsidies,” he pointed out during the press briefing.
The JI leader also demanded the government to build an underground railway system in Lahore to improve urban transportation.
Commenting on the government’s welfare policies, he said Benazir’s income support program had become “a source of corruption”. He questioned why the government chose to spend hundreds of billions of rupees on social programs and not on information technology and vocational training infrastructure to enable young people get sustainable employment.
Political overview
Deliberating on the political situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, he stressed the need for dialogue.
“Several prime ministers have left office since the elections, leading to political instability,” he explained.
Discussing local government politics in Karachi, he claimed that the JI’s electoral mandate for the post of mayor had been ignored, adding that repeated replacement of elected representatives had created unease among the public.
Recalling last year’s war with India, Rehman said: “Pakistan won international honor while India suffered embarrassment.” »
The JI Emir urged the government to forcefully raise the issue of rights over the Indus River before the international community.
Concluding the press conference, the JI leader called on citizens to participate in Friday’s nationwide protests to force the government to take relief measures.
