ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami on Friday warned the government of a nationwide wheel-jam strike and shutter-down protest if the petroleum levy was not withdrawn.
Addressing a major protest demonstration at Aabpara Chowk here, JI chief Naeemur Rehman said roads across the country would be blocked against the anti-people policies of the rulers.
He announced that the party would challenge the petroleum levy in the Constitutional Court on May 18. “The rulers must stop sucking the blood of the people,” he said, adding that the government was burdening the masses with excessive taxation while protecting the interests of the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and the elite.
Hafiz Naeem said the anti-inflation movement had formally begun from Islamabad, adding that large public gatherings would be held in Chitral on Saturday (today) and in Upper Dir the following day.
He said the party would soon announce a future course of action regarding a countrywide strike after consultations, adding that the protest campaign would intensify further after Eid.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had collected Rs8,066 billion through the petroleum levy but did no spend even Rs100 billion on petroleum infrastructure improvement.
He said the government had extracted nearly Rs6,000 billion from motorcycle users alone through the levy and added that the ruling elite was using the tax money for luxuries and to fill the pockets of IPP owners.
