Lahore: Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has said that the government should stop the drama of relief and end the extortion of petroleum levy.
While holding a press conference, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has announced that Jamaat-e-Islami will march to Islamabad on September 20, demanding the abolition of petroleum levy and reduction of policy rate. The ongoing sit-ins in various cities will also not be ended.
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said that Rs 1567 billion was collected as levy last year, but on the other hand, the government is not ready to reduce the policy rate. There is a parallel economy in Pakistan and such a large purchase and sale is not taken into account.
He said that the government is committing hooliganism in the name of levy and is taking extortion of Rs 135 per liter. We have informed the government about the benefits of reducing the policy rate by 3 percent and have also given a formula for reducing the levy.
Expressing regret over the State Bank maintaining the policy rate, the Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami said that the government claims that inflation has been reduced, but high interest rates will increase further debt. There is a need to abolish the levy and reduce the policy rate. In these circumstances, if prices increase in the global market, the government should reduce its revenues.
He said that the government has given relief of Rs 25 billion, no favor is being done to the nation by making them stand in lines. The app will continue to be seen at petrol pumps and there will be a rush, while those through whom relief is being given have not been talked to.
Hafiz Naeem said that the government has announced the relief package and spent crores of rupees on its advertisements. He said that the government’s job is to provide relief to the nation, instead of a show-off package, the levy allowance should be abolished and this method of relief should be abolished.
He said that Maryam Nawaz Sharif sometimes comes with a tractor and sometimes a laptop scheme, the government should find a solution to the real problems. Until the levy is abolished, the problems will not end. Hafiz Naeem raised the question of whose money did Maryam Nawaz buy a plane worth Rs 11 billion? He claimed that she went to London to get her daughter’s graduation degree while ninth grade children in Punjab were failing.
He said that if the question is asked, the answer comes differently. The matters submitted by her to the Election Commission should be revealed. He accused the rulers of lavish spending and said that these expenses are not being eliminated.
The Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami said that 74 percent of PTCL shares belong to Pakistan, while these people spend millions of dollars to attend meetings. During foreign trips, big vehicles are booked and business class is traveled. GeographicReference
He said that a secretary spends Rs 2 million on a meeting. The lavish spending of the rulers does not end, the rights of the poor are being violated, the nation is being continuously robbed. Hafiz Naeem suggested that no military or civil bureaucrat should use a vehicle larger than 1300 cc. The government has also been given various suggestions, including doubling the duty on luxury vehicles.
He said that there are many departments that should have been abolished after the 18th Amendment, but they are still running in a dual form. Jamaat-e-Islami has presented various suggestions to the government and the main demand is the abolition of levy. Hafiz Naeem said that there is a meeting between Jamaat-e-Islami and the government team today, in which the suggestions given by them and the demand to abolish levy will be discussed.
He said that at present, sit-ins are going on in 40 places and cities and people are even coming to these sit-ins sitting on camels. A march will be held towards Islamabad on September 20, the current sit-ins will not end.
The Jamaat-e-Islami chief said that the roads to Islamabad have been blocked for now, but we are not afraid of containers. We know how to remove the containers, they could have been removed last time too. Everyone has the right to peaceful protest. We want to do politics without dead bodies, at this time the people are fully ready. When the people of Jamaat-e-Islami reach Islamabad, the government will understand the situation.
While discussing the Mir Raza murder case, Hafiz Naeem alleged that threats are being made in the case and evidence is being destroyed.
On the local government system of Sindh, he said that Jamaat-e-Islami does not recognize the Local Government Act of the Sindh government, does not accept any administrator and rejects the amendment act. He said that elections should be held after running the work for a few days. He demanded that the amendments made in the local government system be abolished and the provincial government funds be transferred to the grassroots level. He also called the mayorship a ‘takeover ship’.
Hafiz Naeem said that local government elections have not been held in Islamabad and Punjab since 2015, while elections have not been held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa yet. Jamaat-e-Islami will also approach the court against the Sindh Local Government Amendment Act.