PM Shehbaz calls JI chief, asks to postpone Islamabad march

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif contacted Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman and requested that the party postpone its march for a few days, the JI media wing said on Tuesday.

According to a statement issued by the JI media wing, PM Shehbaz contacted Rehman after the JI chief reached Multan while leading the party’s train march towards Islamabad.

“I have already announced a relief package for the nation. However, as soon as I return to Pakistan, I will meet the JI chief and announce a better relief package for the public,” PM Shehbaz was quoted as saying by the JI in a post on X.

In response, Rehman said the announced relief package was “not acceptable in any way” and that the party would continue its struggle.

“The JI chief said the party has been protesting against the petroleum levy for the past one-and-a-half months and would not withdraw from the protest until the levy was abolished,” the statement said.

Rehman said he had told the prime minister that he would consult the party leadership over his request for a pause of a few days in the long march before making a decision.

He said the party would hold consultations on Tuesday morning and announce its future course of action in Multan.

On Sunday, JI launched the party’s Karachi-to-Islamabad “super train march” against the petroleum levy, “cruel” agreements with independent power producers (IPPs), warning that the ongoing campaign could intensify into a movement to oust the government if its demands were not accepted.

Read: JI raises alarm over delay in protest train

Thousands of JI workers and participants gathered at Karachi Cantonment Railway Station for the departure, while women office-bearers of the party bade farewell to the marchers with prayers.

Rehman said the caravan would reach Islamabad as the voice of the people’s demands, while other caravans from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were also due to set off for the capital.

He said JI had chosen to take to the streets for the rights of the people. The party had staged a 35-day sit-in in Karachi, while sit-ins were continuing in Sukkur, Larkana and Hyderabad, with marches and protest sit-ins also under way in different parts of Punjab.

Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme

The PM’s Fuel Relief Scheme, announced on September 13 and rolled out across the country at midnight on September 16 amid a continuous rise in fuel prices due to a war in the Gulf, provides a Rs100-per-litre petrol subsidy to eligible motorcycles, rickshaws, other two- and three-wheelers, and cars of up to 800cc.

The prime minister directed the establishment of facilitation desks comprising administration officials, volunteers and petrol pump staff to assist citizens in easily obtaining the subsidy.

Read more: Fuel relief scheme to go nationwide at midnight tomorrow

He directed that personnel deployed at the facilitation desks should guide eligible citizens and provide them with all possible assistance in registration and other necessary procedures.

PM Shehbaz also asked the relevant authorities to remain proactive in creating public awareness about the scheme.