JI links meeting with PM to petroleum levy cut pledge

Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman dismissed meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif without a promise to scrap the petroleum levy, warning the party would set a date for their Islamabad march after October 12 if the government failed to provide relief. Addressing a press conference, Rehman stated that ministerial statements indicated the levy wouldn't be abolished, and expressed no desire to meet the prime minister in such a scenario.

The prime minister had invited the JI chief to a meeting after asking the party to suspend their protest march against the levy for now. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal had mentioned the PM's request to Liaqat Baloch, the JI vice chief, to arrange a meeting. Rehman demanded meaningful relief for consumers and urged the government to take steps to benefit from the reported $5-per-barrel reduction in oil prices for Asian countries due to Saudi Arabia.

The JI chief blamed "four decades of family rule" for problems in education and agriculture in Punjab, pointing out that 11,000 schools had been sold and another 25,000 listed for sale. He also cited rising agricultural costs, with the price of a 50kg bag of DAP fertiliser increasing by Rs3,000. Farmers earned Rs3,000 per maund for wheat, while flour prices exceeded Rs6,000 per maund and wheat prices crossed Rs5,000 per maund.

Citing World Bank poverty estimates, Rehman said Pakistan's poverty rate was 23 percent, while it exceeded 40 percent under the country's own criteria. Punjab had recorded the largest increase in poverty over the past five years.