LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Friday announced a long march toward Islamabad on Sept. 20 against inflation, rising petroleum prices and the petroleum levy.
Addressing a Jamaat-e-Islami protest gathering in Gujranwala, Rehman said the party had decided to turn its ongoing protests and sit-ins into a long march after talks with the government failed.
He said the Sept. 20 march would be “historic” and urged people across the country to participate.
“The government must abolish the petroleum levy and cut its own expenditures,” Rehman said, adding that the government could not claim it had no resources while imposing additional burdens on citizens.
He warned that if the levy was not withdrawn, his party would launch a movement seeking the government’s removal.
Rehman also criticized government spending and questioned the use of expensive official aircraft, saying ordinary citizens were struggling with rising costs while those in power enjoyed privileges.
“Listen, Shehbaz Sharif, and listen to the public’s anger,” he said, warning the prime minister over the growing public discontent.
The Jamaat-e-Islami chief said the government’s economic policies had opened the way for corruption and called for an end to what he described as excessive taxes and expenditures.
Meanwhile, heavy rain and strong winds disrupted the party’s ongoing sit-in in Rawalpindi, damaging the screen system at Liaquat Bagh. Participants listened to Rehman’s address through an audio system as water accumulated along the road near Liaquat Bagh Chowk.
Rehman also said he would lead the Rawalpindi-Islamabad march scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12, as part of the party’s ongoing protest campaign.
