Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Wednesday announced a major shutter-down and wheel-jam strike if the federal government continues collecting the petroleum levy. The party plans the countrywide action one week after the 12th of Rabiul Awwal.
Speaking to party workers during a protest sit-in outside the Governor’s House in Peshawar, the JI leader said the movement would shake the current system. He rejected claims that protests against the levy, power agreements and high prices of daily goods were not drawing crowds. Pointing to the large gathering, he called it only the beginning and vowed the struggle would continue.
Mr Rehman noted that the government had already reduced the diesel price after sensing the pressure. However, he demanded an immediate end to the daily rise in oil prices. He insisted the real solution lies in completely stopping the collection of the petroleum levy, which he described as extortion the public can no longer bear.
The JI chief said sit-ins were held at 510 points across the country because the government keeps raising petroleum and electricity prices under IMF pressure. He highlighted that the Federal Board of Revenue collected Rs100 billion more than its tax target, yet the authorities still place extra burdens on ordinary citizens instead of cutting their own expenses.
He also criticised expensive IPP agreements, claiming the Zardaris and Sharifs were behind them. People are forced to pay for electricity that was never generated, while independent power producers enjoy tax exemptions. Mr Rehman said the entire nation would be mobilised on the streets over the levy and IPP issues and urged rulers to take corrective steps without delay.
He further complained that FBR’s 25,000 employees had failed to collect taxes properly, forcing the government to squeeze the poor. Leaders of major parties, he added, never understood the hardships of common people because they never faced such problems themselves. He invited workers of all political parties to join the movement against the petroleum levy and IPP deals.
Talks for mere face-saving would not be accepted, he warned. The JI leader also criticised the outsourcing of government schools and basic health units in Punjab and the decline in agricultural growth that has increased poverty. He held the Pakistan Democratic Movement responsible for the economic crisis and said the entire system needed an overhaul. Use of force, he stressed, was no solution and law and order must be maintained through consultation with all stakeholders.
