ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Friday staged a protest sit-in at Motorway Chowk against inflation, petroleum levy and increase in prices of petroleum products, demanding that the government fix petrol price at Rs225 per litre.
The protest was led by JI Pakistan Naib Ameer Liaqat Baloch, JI Pakistan Naib Ameer Mian Muhammad Aslam and JI Islamabad Ameer Engineer Nasrullah Randhawa. A large number of citizens participated in the sit-in in vehicles, on motorcycles and on foot.
Addressing the participants, Liaqat Baloch said that on the appeal of JI Pakistan Ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, protest sit-ins were being held at 510 places across the country against inflation and petroleum levy.
He said the people should be charged the actual price of petroleum products, adding that collection of heavy amounts in the form of levy was sheer injustice. He demanded that the government immediately abolish petroleum levy and fix petrol price at Rs225 per litre.
Baloch said the rulers were shifting the economic burden to the people in the name of the IMF, while they were not ready to reduce their own expenses and luxuries. He said Jamaat-e-Islami would continue its struggle for supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law and protection of public rights.
Mian Muhammad Aslam said inflation, unemployment and increasing taxes had made life difficult for the people. He said the government had affected every segment of society through petroleum levy, resulting in a continuous rise in prices of essential commodities.
He said Jamaat-e-Islami would continue to raise its voice for the legitimate rights of the people at every democratic and constitutional forum and would keep up the struggle until the people were provided relief.
Engineer Nasrullah Randhawa said the people had risen against an oppressive economic system. He said the increase in prices of petroleum products had pushed essential items beyond the reach of the common man, while around Rs150 was being collected on every litre of petrol under petroleum levy, which he termed an injustice to the poor.
He demanded that the government immediately abolish petroleum levy and take effective steps to protect the people from inflation. He said the peaceful struggle of the people would succeed and oppressive economic policies could not continue for long.
At the conclusion of the sit-in, the speakers announced that Jamaat-e-Islami’s peaceful public movement would continue until public issues were resolved, inflation ended and petroleum levy was abolished.
