The government has sought more time from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) to address its demand for the complete abolition of the petroleum levy following a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and JI chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman.
According to sources, the government asked JI to allow additional time while it deals with the situation surrounding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long march.
The government assured Hafiz Naeem that progress would be made on JI’s demands after the PTI march issue was addressed. Another meeting between the prime minister and the JI chief is also likely, according to the sources.
Hafiz Naeem, however, reportedly made it clear that his party was not prepared to wait indefinitely.
JI has demanded practical measures to fulfil commitments previously made by the government, particularly the complete abolition of the petroleum levy. The party maintained that verbal assurances would no longer be sufficient and called for concrete action.
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Hafiz Naeem had previously suspended JI’s long march after it reached Multan following an assurance from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that he would address the party’s demands upon returning to the country.
Before launching the long march, JI had also staged nationwide protest sit-ins lasting about a month as part of its campaign to press the government to provide economic relief.
The petroleum levy remains one of JI’s key demands, with the party now seeking implementation of the commitments it says were made by the government.
