Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has once again criticized the government over the prices of petroleum products, alleging that authorities are using the Petroleum Development Levy (PDL) to conceal corruption. He also announced simultaneous sit-ins in all four provinces on August 16.
Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, Hafiz Naeem welcomed the defence agreement reached in Makkah, describing it as an important development for Muslim countries. He called for efforts to bring Iran and other countries into the agreement and said a strong regional network should be developed through the initiative.
Speaking about the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the JI chief said maintaining law and order was the responsibility of governments. He stressed the need to create conditions conducive to peace and argued that external conspiracies often succeed because of internal weaknesses.
Criticizing the government over fuel prices, Hafiz Naeem said petrol should cost around Rs225 per litre, but prices remained excessively high. He questioned why fuel prices had not been reduced despite the end of the war and alleged that the government had generated significant revenue through petroleum levies.
The JI chief also alleged corruption worth Rs1.3 trillion within the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), claiming that people without sufficient income were also being subjected to taxes. He said political parties had remained silent over what he described as injustice and maintained that Jamaat-e-Islami was continuing its protests over public issues.
Hafiz Naeem also criticized the power sector, alleging that the country had faced significant costs because of inefficient electricity generation and non-generation. He called for a public movement against what he described as the “IPPs mafia” and urged citizens to come out to demand their rights.
Announcing the next phase of the campaign, Hafiz Naeem said simultaneous sit-ins would be held across the four provinces on August 16. He said protesters would gather outside the Chief Minister’s House in Punjab and outside the Governor Houses in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He urged other political parties to support the protest and said demonstrations over public rights traditionally take place on roads rather than inside homes. He also said JI remained in contact with the Tehreek Tahafuz Aain Pakistan, while stressing that political parties should organize protests independently on broader public issues.
