JI chief reaches PM House for meeting with prime minister: party

Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman arrived on Tuesday at the Prime Minister’s House for a meeting with the premier, according to the party.

The meeting regards the JI’s demand that the government abolish petroleum levies. The Centre and JI had agreed to form committees in early September — when the latter had planned a nationwide strike — to recommend measures to reduce the levy.

Rehman was accompanied by a delegation including the party’s Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch, Deputy Secretary General Syed Farasat Shah, and JI Islamabad Emir Nasrullah Randhawa, a post by the JI’s account on social media said.

The JI has been demanding for over two months that the Centre abolish petroleum levies, as fuel prices have skyrocketed due to conflicts in the Middle East since March.

Rehman on Monday warned that the party would march to Islamabad in mid-November if the premier did not abolish the petroleum levy.

On Aug 16, the JI announced sit-ins in all the provincial capitals of Pakistan against the petroleum levy and had called for a nationwide strike on Sept 3.

On Sept 20, the party launched a protest march towards Islamabad, warning that if the government failed to abolish the petroleum levy, the protest could turn into one to oust the government.

On Sept 22, the JI emir said his party, whose convoy had reached Multan, was postponing its long march at the request of PM Shehbaz, who had assured the other side of a meeting to discuss the matters.

However, in a press release issued last week, the party alleged that the government had made no further contact regarding the planned meeting.