Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan has announced plans for a nationwide strike after 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal. The party is demanding a reduction in petroleum prices and the removal of the petroleum levy.
JI chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman announced the plan during a press conference in Lahore. He said the party would continue its campaign until the government takes steps to meet its demands.
Hafiz Naeem said the government must reduce the prices of petroleum products. He criticised the petroleum levy and described it as an unfair burden on the public.
He said JI would not end its protest simply on the basis of government assurances. According to him, the protest will only end when the government takes practical action and accepts the party’s demands.
The JI chief also called on people across Pakistan to support the campaign.
He also raised concerns about the problems faced by farmers. According to Hafiz Naeem, farmers are struggling to get fertilisers at affordable prices. At the same time, he criticised government officials for using expensive vehicles purchased or maintained with the money of taxpayers.
JI’s main demands
- Reduce the prices of petroleum products
- Remove the petroleum levy
- Address the high cost of fertilisers for farmers
- Take action against problems linked to the flour and sugar sectors
- Hold a nationwide strike after 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal if demands are not met
Hafiz Naeem warned that the party could increase the scale of its protests if its demands remain unresolved.
He said JI could march towards Islamabad and claimed that no one would be able to stop the party from continuing its movement. He added that JI workers were prepared to make sacrifices for the campaign.
The announcement comes as Jamaat-e-Islami continues protests against the petroleum levy.
The party has been protesting outside governors’ houses in different parts of Pakistan. According to the report, these protests entered their eighth day on August 23.
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