Shehbaz asks Hafiz Naeem to postpone JI long march for a few days
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has contacted Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman and requested that the party postpone its long march for a few days amid an ongoing dispute over the petroleum levy.
The prime minister, who is currently in New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly session, told the JI chief that the government had already announced a relief package for the public and offered to meet him after returning to Pakistan.
During the telephone conversation, Prime Minister Sharif said that after meeting Hafiz Naeem, he would announce an improved relief package for the public.
The contact came as the JI’s protest movement against the petroleum levy entered its latest phase. The party began its march towards Islamabad after staging sit-ins and protests in several cities since August 16.
Hafiz Naeem rejects relief package
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman told the prime minister that the announced relief package was unacceptable under any circumstances and that the JI would continue its struggle.
The JI emir said the party had been protesting against what it describes as the petroleum levy for around a month and a half.
He reiterated that the party would not withdraw its protest until the petroleum levy was abolished. The JI has previously rejected the government’s fuel relief measures as insufficient and continued to demand the complete withdrawal of the levy.
