Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has announced a nationwide protest on Friday, June 19, for a significant reduction in the prices of petroleum products.
In a video message and an ex-statement issued from Mansoura, he has demanded that the price of petrol be immediately reduced to Rs 225 per liter and frozen for three years. Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said that the prices of petroleum products are decreasing all over the world, while after the Iran-US agreement, there is a tendency for oil prices to decrease further in the global market. In such circumstances, the people of Pakistan should also get immediate relief.
He said that a reduction in the price of petrol by Rs 10 or 20 will not solve the problem, the government must reduce the price of petrol by at least Rs 150 per liter to bring it to Rs 225. The Jamaat-e-Islami chief said that expensive petrol has also affected the country’s economy and the poor, middle class, students, laborers, farmers and bike riders are all suffering greatly. The government has targeted the same class that is already bearing the burden of inflation to hide its incompetence and collect taxes.
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said that how can a student who has no taxable income pay tax on petrol? A motorcyclist who earns Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 in a whole month is being charged a heavy tax per liter, which is injustice.
He said that the government is collecting about Rs 150 in tax including levy on every liter of petrol, while in the last financial year too, Rs 1,700 billion was collected in the form of petroleum levy. He said that this money is being collected from the poor people, laborers, farmers and the middle class.
The Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami said that instead of reducing its vehicles, privileges and unnecessary expenses, the government is burdening the people. He demanded that the petroleum levy be immediately abolished or reduced, while electricity and gas prices should also be reduced.
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman announced that Jamaat-e-Islami will hold a full-scale protest against inflation and petrol prices at all district headquarters across the country on Friday, June 19.
He appealed to Jamaat-e-Islami workers, youth and the public to participate fully in the protest and put pressure on the government. He warned that if the government did not provide relief to the people, Jamaat-e-Islami would announce long sit-ins at all four provincial headquarters.
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said that now the decisive time has come, the government must end the policy of burdening the people so that the economy can run, industries can develop and the common man can get relief.