PESHAWAR: The Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) indefinite sit-in outside the Governor’s House against the hike in petroleum prices entered its sixth consecutive day on Friday, with members of the party’s sister organisations also joining the protest.
The protest is being held on the call of JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman and is being attended by workers of Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, Jamiat Talaba Arabia, Pakistan Islamic Medical Association, Jamiat Ittehadul Ulema, National Labour Federation, Islamic Lawyers Forum, Kisan Board and Pakistan Business Forum.
Addressing the sit-in, JI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Central amir Abdul Wasi, JI KP (North) president Inayatullah Khan and provincial general secretary Sabir Hussain Awan said the party had launched a nationwide protest two years ago against soaring electricity bills and price hikes and had staged a sit-in in Islamabad.
They said the party had exposed the costly agreements signed by successive governments with independent power producers (IPPs) and the trillions of rupees paid under the head of capacity payments.
The speakers alleged that a report by the prime minister’s task force had revealed that the government had saved Rs4.3 trillion by terminating agreements with six IPPs.They said their party was the first to create awareness among the people about the exploitative agreements with IPPs.
The speakers said the government was currently collecting up to Rs124 per litre from consumers in the name of petroleum levy, describing it as an unjust tax imposed on the people.They said the JI was creating awareness about the issue through protest sit-ins in all four provinces and would continue its campaign until the government withdrew the unjust petroleum levy.
“We will rid the nation of the unjust petroleum levy through historic sit-ins,” Sabir Hussain Awan said.The speakers said the repeated increases in petroleum prices and the heavy levy were affecting the entire population and called upon the government to immediately end the practice and provide relief to the people.
Other speakers included Islamic Lawyers Forum president Abdul Wahid Khan, National Labour Federation Pakistan president Shamsur Rehman Swati, provincial president Jamshed Munir Khan, Jamiat Ittehadul Ulema provincial president Maulana Ghulam Sabir, Kisan Board president Abdul Akbar Khan, Arbab Mohammad Jameel, Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba provincial nazim Asfandyar Izzat, Jamiat Talaba Arabia provincial organiser Sajjadullah Sarkani and Pakistan Business Forum president Khalid Gul Mohmand.
