MULTAN: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday announced that the party had postponed the next phase of its march on Islamabad and would remain in Multan until a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Addressing a press conference in Multan, Hafiz Naeem said the prime minister had contacted him by telephone and requested that the march be postponed while inviting JI leadership for talks.
“We will definitely meet the prime minister,” he said, adding that discussions would be held after Shehbaz returns to Pakistan.
The JI chief said the party’s sit-in in Multan would continue until the meeting, making it clear that the decision did not amount to ending the protest movement.
“Whatever happens, we will continue our movement and the sit-ins will continue,” he said.
Hafiz Naeem reiterated JI’s demand for a reduction in fuel prices and abolition of the petroleum levy, saying the relief measures announced by the government were insufficient.
He said the party had presented several proposals to the government for reducing petrol prices, but officials had maintained that the petroleum levy could not be reduced because of Pakistan’s commitments under the International Monetary Fund programme.
The JI emir said the party would seek written assurances from the government before deciding on its future course of action.
He said several rounds of talks had already been held with federal ministers before the march and claimed that JI’s nationwide protest campaign had put pressure on the government.
According to Hafiz Naeem, the party had held sit-ins at 510 locations across the country and staged a shutter-down strike as part of its campaign against rising fuel prices and inflation.
He said JI had no personal agenda and was seeking relief for the public amid rising living costs.
Hafiz Naeem reiterated that the party would continue its campaign while remaining engaged in negotiations with the government.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office said Shehbaz Sharif had spoken to Hafiz Naeem by telephone and asked him to postpone the Islamabad sit-in.
During the conversation, the prime minister said the government was providing relief on petroleum products to economically vulnerable and middle-income sections of society despite difficult circumstances.
He said the government would continue efforts to provide relief to the public to the extent possible.
According to the PMO, Hafiz Naeem welcomed the prime minister’s suggestion and said JI was considering postponing the sit-in.
The two leaders agreed to meet after Shehbaz’s return from his visit and continue consultations on the matter, the PMO said.
The JI chief’s announcement comes as the party continues its campaign over fuel prices and the petroleum levy, with the next phase of the planned march towards Islamabad now put on hold pending talks with the prime minister.
