ISLAMABAD — The Jamaat-e-Islami protest postponed on Tuesday after party chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with the federal government agreeing to form a bipartisan committee to widen fuel relief as JI presses for the petroleum levy—the federal tax on petrol and diesel—to be scrapped.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, speaking with Prime Minister’s aide Rana Sanaullah, said the premier and the JI leader agreed on a six-member panel: three Jamaat representatives and three from the government—Iqbal himself, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Rana Sanaullah. The group is to give a “final shape” to fuel relief proposals.
What the new committee will do
Iqbal said the committee will look at expanding the government’s relief scheme so more “deserving people” can benefit, and at drafting “concrete proposals to phase out levies for the next budget.” He claimed roughly 12.5 million citizens nationwide already receive support under the scheme.
Rana Sanaullah said the government is giving relief to ordinary and poor households “to whatever extent possible” and wants that help to be “targeted” so those who need it most get more. He thanked JI for focusing on public relief and said he hoped Jamaat’s leadership would act with care given the country’s sensitive situation.
Why the government urged calm
Acknowledging every party’s right to protest, Iqbal argued that regional conditions call for peace and internal stability. He said Pakistan is playing a diplomatic role on the Middle East crisis, including helping talks between the United States and Iran, in the hope that lower regional tension and global oil prices could allow more relief at home.
JI’s deadline and mid-November warning
Hafiz Naeem told the media that the Jamaat-e-Islami protest postponed outcome still leaves a short clock: the party has given the government seven to 10 days. If the fuel levy is not abolished by then, he said, JI will march on Islamabad in mid-November.
He called the petroleum levy an unjustified tax that must go, and said sit-ins and the long march continue. Preparations and nationwide mobilisation for the capital march will keep going even as talks continue. Negotiations were not empty, he argued—both sides agreed people need relief—but JI wants immediate action while the government prefers a phase-wise approach to the levy.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Tuesday: Hafiz Naeemur Rehman meets Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad; the government announces the Jamaat-e-Islami protest postponed and a six-member relief committee.
- Same day: Ahsan Iqbal and Rana Sanaullah brief the press on expanding fuel relief and possible levy phase-out in the next budget.
- Seven to 10 days from Tuesday: Deadline Hafiz Naeem said the government has to meet JI’s demands.
- Mid-November: Date JI named for an Islamabad march if the petroleum levy is not abolished.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Jamaat-e-Islami ne Islamabad march abhi ke liye rok diya hai kyunke Hafiz Naeem ki PM Shehbaz se mulaqat ho gayi. Sarkar ne fuel relief aur levy ke liye aik committee bana di hai. Jamaat kehti hai agar petroleum levy 7–10 din mein khatam na hui to mid-November mein phir march hoga. Aam logon ke liye yeh matlab hai ke petrol-diesel tax aur sarkari madad ki baat ab table par hai, lekin asar abhi finalize nahi hua.
