MULTAN: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday announced that the party had deferred the next phase of its Islamabad march and would remain in Multan until talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Speaking at a press conference, Hafiz Naeem said the prime minister had contacted him by telephone and requested that the planned sit-in in Islamabad be postponed. He added that PM Shehbaz had also invited the JI leadership for discussions.
The JI chief said the meeting would take place after the prime minister returned to Pakistan.
“Whatever happens, our movement will continue and the sit-ins will remain in place,” Hafiz Naeem said, making it clear that the postponement did not mean an end to the party’s protest campaign.
He said the JI sit-in in Multan would continue until the meeting with the prime minister and that the party would seek written commitments from the government before deciding on its next course of action.
Hafiz Naeem maintained that the relief measures announced by the government were inadequate and reiterated JI’s demands for lower fuel prices and the withdrawal of the petroleum levy.
He said the party had put forward several proposals to reduce petrol prices, but government representatives had cited commitments under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme as a reason for retaining the levy.
The JI emir said the party had already held multiple rounds of talks with federal ministers ahead of its protest campaign, adding that nationwide demonstrations had increased pressure on the government.
According to Hafiz Naeem, JI organised sit-ins at 510 locations across the country and also observed a shutter-down strike against high fuel prices and inflation.
He said the party was not pursuing any personal or political agenda but was seeking economic relief for ordinary citizens facing rising living costs.
PM asks JI to defer Islamabad sit-in
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke to Hafiz Naeem by telephone and requested him to postpone the planned Islamabad sit-in.
During the conversation, the prime minister said the government was taking measures to provide relief on petroleum products to low-income and middle-class segments despite difficult economic conditions.
PM Shehbaz assured the JI chief that the government would continue efforts to provide maximum possible relief to the public.
The PMO said Hafiz Naeem welcomed the prime minister’s proposal and informed him that JI was considering postponing the Islamabad sit-in.
The two leaders agreed to meet after PM Shehbaz returns from his foreign visit and continue discussions on the issue.
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