ISLAMABAD: The government has again contacted Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leadership to seek talks over the party’s ongoing protest against the petroleum development levy.
Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal contacted JI Vice Emir Liaquat Baloch on Friday night and invited the party to another round of negotiations on Saturday. The development came as JI prepared for its September 20 march towards Islamabad.
Iqbal told Baloch that the government wanted to resolve the issue through negotiations.
Baloch said he would respond after consulting JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman and the party’s senior leadership. He also reiterated that the protest would continue until the petroleum levy was withdrawn.
Four Rounds of Talks Held
The latest government outreach came after four rounds of talks between the two sides.
The government delegation initially visited Mansoorah in Lahore to invite the JI leadership for negotiations. The subsequent rounds were held in Islamabad, with the fourth round taking place on September 16.
Despite the negotiations, the JI has maintained its demand for the complete withdrawal of the petroleum levy.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has also rejected the government’s fuel relief measures as a substitute for abolishing the levy. He has said the party’s sit-ins and planned march will continue until its demand is addressed.
JI to March on Islamabad
The JI has scheduled a long march towards Islamabad for September 20.
Rehman said caravans from different parts of the country would travel towards the federal capital. The party has also discussed a train caravan from Karachi as part of the planned mobilisation.
The JI chief has repeatedly called for the complete abolition of the petroleum levy. He has also criticised the government’s proposed relief measures, saying they do not address the levy itself.
According to Rehman, the government collected more than Rs. 1.56 trillion through the petroleum levy during the previous fiscal year.
The government and JI are now expected to hold another round of talks as the September 20 march approaches.
