LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said the ruling elite have pushed the people into yet another crisis, arguing that the government not only raises petrol prices but also increases taxes.
Addressing a sit-in at Faisal Chowk on The Mall in Lahore against the petroleum levy and rising inflation, Hafiz Naeem said the protest had begun and would continue, while a separate sit-in outside the Governor House in Karachi was also under way.
He said the struggle would continue until the government “bends to the people’s demands”, expressing confidence that the JI would succeed in forcing the government to retreat.
Responding to the government’s announcement that a committee had been formed to address the protesters’ concerns, Hafiz Naeem said: “We do not need your briefing. You can keep your committee. We will not go to Islamabad to receive any briefing. Whoever wants to talk should come here.”
He said negotiations would focus on only one demand: the withdrawal of the petroleum levy.
The JI emir said the system imposed on the people had no connection with their concerns and could no longer continue. He described the petroleum levy as a “forced extortion tax” and an unjust charge imposed on the public.
Hafiz Naeem also criticised the country’s feudal and bureaucratic elite, questioning how many landlords associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had paid taxes on their estates.
“This feudal system cannot continue,” he said, accusing influential landlords of exploiting poor farmers, while alleging that major landowners avoided taxes and senior bureaucrats benefited from public resources.
He said the ruling elite were unwilling to surrender their privileges while continuing to squeeze the poor.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami sit-ins against inflation and the petroleum levy are continuing outside the Governor Houses in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.
