JI Sit-Ins Against Petroleum Levy Enter Second Day, Hafiz Naeem Vows to Continue Protests Until Demands Are Met
LAHORE/KARACHI: The nationwide sit-ins and protest demonstrations by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) against the petroleum levy, skyrocketing fuel prices and the surging inflation have officially begun day two. JI Emir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has made it crystal clear that the protesters will continue their protest till the demands of the public are accepted.
The protesters and party activists have been firmly encamped outside the residences of the Chief Minister in Lahore and the Governor in Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta for the second day.
Protest to continue till demands are met: Hafiz Naeem
Speaking at a press conference held at the Lahore sit in camp, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman mentioned that the protests are being held peacefully. He called upon the citizens to come forward to the camps and pledge themselves against an “unjust levy on fuel.
Hafiz Naeem said that 250 million Pakistanis were the ones being fought in the case of Jamaat-e-Islami and the prices of petrol had been raised due to the world wars. Refuting the IMF’s rationale, he said that the rulers have fallen under the control of international lenders and restated the demand for reducing the petrol price to Rs 225 per litre.
In response to the government’s outreach, the JI Emir said the government has established a committee for briefing but it needs to come to negotiate the terms on the basis of significant relief. It is not a sit-in that is confined to any one party or any personal agenda, he added, “but strictly for the common people.
Women Protesters Join Karachi Sit-In at SDF HQ.Women Protesters Join Karachi Sit-In at SDF HQ.
In Karachi, a large number of women will be participating in an ongoing sit-in outside the Sindh Governor House today.
In a statement, JI Karachi Emir Munim Zafar said that the government has to immediately remove the crushing burden of inflation from the shoulders of the common man by lowering the prices of petroleum products.