{
  "id": 8284630,
  "title": "JI chief says govt could save up to Rs4 trillion if it adopts party’s proposed fiscal reforms",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/ji-chief-says-govt-could-save-up-to-rs4-trillion-if-it-adopts-partys-8284630",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-18T18:08:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2030918/ji-chief-says-govt-could-save-up-to-rs4-trillion-if-it-adopts-partys-proposed-fiscal-reforms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "ISLAMABAD — Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman addressed a press conference on Friday, stating that his party's protest movement seeks immediate economic relief and claims the national treasury could save between Rs3 trillion and Rs4 trillion if the government adopted their proposed fiscal reforms. Criticizing rising fuel costs and heavy taxation, Rehman highlighted the superficial relief packages that fail to tackle the core burdens faced by the public. He announced a nationwide \"super long march\" to the federal capital, commencing on September 20, urging the authorities to address energy and fuel price hikes, which he argued are not solely attributable to international market forces. Rehman criticized the government for relying on aggressive levies to meet revenue targets instead of reducing state expenditure. He emphasized the disproportionate impact of local fuel price increases on lower- and middle-income households reliant on smaller vehicles and called for abolishing the petroleum levy, ending non-productive capacity payments to independent power producers and regasification plants, and fixing petrol prices at Rs225 per litre.\n\nRehman proposed an immediate reduction of three percentage points in the benchmark interest rate, noting that a one-percentage-point reduction would save the exchequer approximately Rs574 billion. He demanded that the government stop protecting commercial bank profits and work towards eliminating interest from the national economy. The JI emir noted growing public support for his party's movement and confirmed ongoing dialogue with farmers' alliances and PTI over their respective demonstrations. Rehman assured the public that the self-funded march would not involve road blockades and would not disrupt daily life or the upcoming MDCAT exams. He stated that the JI leadership was ready for immediate talks if the government presented actionable proposals and warned against any stalling tactics as public mobilization intensified.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Friday said the party’s protest movement aimed to press the government for immediate economic relief, asserting that the national exchequer could save between Rs3 trillion and Rs4 trillion if the authorities adopted the party’s proposed fiscal reforms. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the JI chief voiced sharp criticism of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn - Pakistan",
        "title": "JI chief says govt could save up to Rs4 trillion if it adopts party’s proposed fiscal reforms",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/ji-chief-says-govt-could-save-up-to-rs4-trillion-if-it-adopts-partys",
        "published": "2026-09-18T18:08:39.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}