ISLAMABAD, Sep 12 (Alliance News): Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has announced a September 20 march on Islamabad against the Petroleum Development Levy (PDL), warning that the party’s protest movement will enter a “decisive phase” if the levy is not withdrawn.
Addressing a rally in Gujranwala on Friday, Rehman said JI supporters would travel to the federal capital in caravans from across the country and urged the government to respond to growing public dissatisfaction.
“If the petroleum levy is still in place when the long march begins, the people will decide the matter on the streets of Islamabad,” he said.
Rehman warned that if the government’s response remained unsatisfactory, the JI would launch a campaign aimed at bringing down the government.
The federal government currently imposes Rs114 per litre in taxes and duties on petrol and Rs100 per litre on diesel.
The announcement came as JI sit-ins against the petroleum levy entered their 27th day in Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and several other locations. Rehman said the protests would be expanded and announced that he would address a women’s gathering in Islamabad on Saturday.
Earlier, he chaired a meeting of JI leaders from across the country at Mansoorah in Lahore to discuss the next phase of the protest campaign.
Rehman presented the JI as an emerging political force and said the party had become a source of hope for people frustrated with successive governments.
He criticised the country’s bureaucracy, feudal landlords and powerful families, alleging that they dominated the political and economic system while ordinary citizens continued to face poverty, unemployment and limited access to education.
The JI chief also criticised the Punjab government over violence and exploitation against women. He claimed that around 6,500 cases had been registered in the province but convictions had been secured in only a small number of cases.
Rehman challenged Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to provide the Federal Board of Revenue with a complete account of her income and expenditure following her recent statement that she had personally paid for a London trip on a government aircraft.
He also criticised the Sharif and Zardari families, alleging that their policies had contributed to the economic difficulties faced by ordinary citizens. He claimed that more than 40% of Punjab’s population was living in poverty.
Opposition to petroleum levy
Rehman claimed the government had collected Rs1,567 billion from the public through the petroleum levy.
Questioning the justification for the charge, which he described as a “jagga tax”, he said millions of Pakistanis continued to lack adequate access to healthcare and education.
He also criticised energy policies followed by successive governments since the 1990s, particularly arrangements involving independent power producers, and argued that authorities should reduce government expenditure instead of imposing additional financial burdens on citizens.
The JI chief questioned continued federal budget allocations for departments and functions after the 18th Amendment transferred several responsibilities to the provinces.
He also called for an end to interest-based financial practices, referring to a ruling of the Federal Shariat Court. Rehman argued that even a partial reduction in interest payments could save the national exchequer thousands of billions of rupees.
The JI leader said the party had raised these issues during talks with the government but had not received satisfactory answers.
“If the rulers cannot answer the people’s questions, the people will now demand those answers themselves,” he said.
The JI had announced on August 16 that it would hold sit-ins in all provincial capitals against the petroleum levy. The party later called a nationwide strike for September 3.
