Petrol prices have reached unprecedented levels, and prices have not been reduced even after the end of the war, says Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.
Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has once again criticized the government over the prices of petroleum products and accused it of concealing corruption under the guise of the Petroleum Development Levy. He also announced that Jamaat-e-Islami would hold simultaneous sit-ins across all four provinces of Pakistan on August 16.
Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman welcomed the defense agreement in Makkah, describing it as an important development for the Muslim world. He said efforts should be made to bring Iran and other countries into the agreement as well. According to him, the Makkah defense agreement should be used to establish a powerful network among Muslim countries.
Speaking about the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that maintaining law and order was the responsibility of the government. He stressed that the authorities should create an environment conducive to peace in the province. He added that external conspiracies often succeed because of internal conditions and weaknesses.
Government Earned Huge Revenue Through Petroleum Levy
Criticizing the government over rising fuel prices, the Jamaat-e-Islami leader said petrol should cost around Rs225 per litre, but instead its price had reached extremely high levels. He questioned why petrol prices had not been reduced even after the war had ended.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the government had generated significant revenue through the petroleum levy. He alleged that the authorities were using the Petroleum Development Levy as a cover for corruption.
He further claimed that corruption worth Rs1,300 billion was taking place within the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). He said taxes were even being imposed on people who had no income, describing the situation as an injustice against the public. He criticized other political parties for remaining silent on the issue.
According to Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, Jamaat-e-Islami had organized a historic protest on August 7 to raise public issues. He said the party had blocked major highways as part of its protest but claimed that ambulances were not stopped during the demonstrations.
“Protests Take Place on Roads, Not at Home”
Responding to the government’s criticism that road protests cause inconvenience to the public, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said protests around the world are conducted on roads and public spaces.
He said the government had argued that people were being disturbed by protests on the roads, but questioned where else protests could take place. “Protests take place on roads, not at home,” he said.
He also criticized the government over the country’s power sector, saying that more money had been spent on electricity that was not generated than on electricity that was actually produced. He alleged that incompetence and corruption had reached unprecedented levels.
Calling for action against what he described as the “IPPs mafia,” Hafiz Naeemur Rehman urged the people to come out onto the streets and demand their rights.
Sit-ins to Be Held Across Four Provinces
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman formally announced that Jamaat-e-Islami would hold simultaneous sit-ins in all four provinces on August 16.
According to the announcement, the sit-in in Punjab will be held outside the Chief Minister’s House, while demonstrations in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will take place outside the respective Governor Houses. He said protests around the world were held on roads and public spaces and rejected the government’s argument that such demonstrations unnecessarily inconvenience citizens.
He claimed that the people had been deprived of their right to govern and that their rights had been taken away. Therefore, he said, the people would have to come forward and raise their voices.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also appealed to all political parties to support Jamaat-e-Islami’s campaign on public issues.
Comments on Political Alliances
In response to a question, the Jamaat-e-Islami chief said his party was in contact with the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Aain, or Movement for the Protection of the Constitution. However, he said political alliances in the past had not produced positive results.
He suggested that political parties should organize protests at their own level while continuing to raise issues of common concern. Commenting on the ongoing political tensions between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), he said the allegations the two parties were making against each other were, in his view, correct.
Call for Review of the System
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman was also asked about Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s statement regarding the failure of the system.
He said that after admitting that the system had failed, the government would need to conduct a comprehensive review and reassessment of the existing system.
Regarding the possibility of increasing the number of administrative units in the country, he said that the Constitution already provided a procedure for creating additional administrative units. He warned that taking any step outside the Constitution could create doubts and suspicions.
He emphasized that constitutional procedures should be followed and that any changes to the country’s administrative structure must be made within the framework of the Constitution.
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