Govt, Jamaat-i-Islami agree on petroleum levy relief; long march deferred

Islamabad: The government and Jamaat-i-Islami have agreed on several proposals to provide relief to the public on petroleum product prices and the levy, while the party has deferred its decision to launch a long march until the next meeting.

Jamaat-i-Islami said it would decide whether to hold a protest march or continue negotiations only after the government announces its final course of action.

Speaking to the media after talks with the government committee on Tuesday, Jamaat-i-Islami Deputy Ameer Liaqat Baloch said it was the tenth round of talks, following nine earlier sessions. According to him, the party’s core demand was immediate relief for the public, and progress has been made on various proposals.

Relief package proposals

Liaqat Baloch said the government had acknowledged that global conditions were causing difficulties in the supply of petroleum products. Talks agreed that the existing relief programme would be expanded further, but that it would be the government’s responsibility to approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to sustain this facility.

Jamaat-i-Islami proposed widening the relief scheme to include cars of 1,000cc and the agricultural sector, so that more groups affected by inflation and petroleum prices could receive support.

According to the Deputy Ameer, the government has also accepted the party’s demand for the abolition of the petroleum levy as legitimate. Jamaat-i-Islami’s position is that the levy should be abolished immediately and that the public be given clear and direct relief. However, the government has assured the party that it will inform it of the next course of action.

Next talks and long march

Liaqat Baloch criticised the government, saying it was unwilling to give up its luxuries, while the burden of the failures of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) was being shifted onto the public. He said Jamaat-i-Islami’s aim was only to secure relief for the people, whether or not the government gave it credit for the struggle.

An initial outline of a possible agreement was also agreed at today’s session, and the government will inform Jamaat-i-Islami about it. Another round of talks between Jamaat-i-Islami and government representatives will be held on Wednesday or Thursday. The final decision on any agreement will be taken at a possible meeting between the Prime Minister and Jamaat-i-Islami Ameer Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman.

Liaqat Baloch made clear that after this progress, Jamaat-i-Islami would decide whether to launch the long march. He said that on the day the party felt talks were yielding no benefit, it would withdraw from them that same day.

He said that as a result of Jamaat-i-Islami’s protests, the rise in petroleum product prices had been halted, and relief of Rs146 on diesel and Rs120 on petrol had been granted. Jamaat-i-Islami, he said, would continue its struggle for the rights of the people, with its basic aim being to free the public from inflation.