ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch has rejected the prime minister’s Rs100-per-liter petrol relief package, saying it cannot be a substitute for abolishing the petroleum levy.
Speaking to reporters after the third round of talks between the government and JI in Islamabad, Baloch said technical discussions were held on independent power producers (IPPs) and the petroleum levy.
He said Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and Energy Minister Awais Leghari briefed the JI delegation during the talks.
Baloch said the JI had rejected the prime minister’s petrol relief package and made it clear that the petroleum levy should be abolished.
“If the levy is abolished, consumers can get relief of Rs103 per liter on petrol,” he said.
He described the prime minister’s relief measure as a “deception” and said the government had been told to convey to the prime minister that the JI’s march toward Islamabad would go ahead.
Regarding IPPs, Baloch said Leghari had presented the government’s complete position and acknowledged that issues involving 54 IPPs had been finalized following the JI’s previous protests.
The JI has been holding sit-ins in various cities against inflation and the petroleum levy. The party has also announced a long march toward Islamabad on Sept. 20.
