Long March Postponed, Not Ended: PM Should Return and Announce Abolition of Petroleum Levy — Hafiz Naeem

Lahore (Qudrat Daily): Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman has said that the long march has been postponed, not ended, and that the Prime Minister should return and announce the abolition of the petroleum levy, otherwise the march will restart with full force.

Addressing a public gathering at Wahdat Road in Lahore, he said that the government attempted to block the route of the gathering and did not allow them to make arrangements. However, workers dismantled all government arrangements and held the gathering successfully. He stated that the march has only been paused, not terminated, and the government should abandon its tactics.

Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman said that parties like the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have become outdated and are surviving only on Form 47. He asserted that they will be swept away by the people. He added that JI has not even presented its full agenda yet, and for now, it has only raised the demand for abolishing the levy extortion. He stated that anyone who wants to do politics in Pakistan must now adopt the politics of serving the people, and whoever does not stand with the people will not survive.

He said that these rulers cannot give up their luxuries and private jets. Each of their foreign trips costs the public millions. He added that the land mafia, petroleum mafia, and other mafias imposed on the people will not be spared.

Hafiz Naeem said that when Jamaat-e-Islami comes out for the rights of the people, not only the government but also opposition parties speak against it. He questioned the opposition parties: where are you when the public is being burdened with taxes and extortion? He said that Independent Power Producers (IPPs) were established to loot the people, and several IPPs registered themselves abroad so that local laws would not apply to them. He noted that when IPPs were created, either the PPP or PML-N was in power. He added that IPPs receive payments even when they do not generate electricity, and the public is looted through various taxes on electricity.

He said that these parties have remained in power together through landlords and feudals. When it comes to fighting over the country’s resources, they all unite; when it comes to interest-based loans, they all come together. When Zainab of Kasur was subjected to brutality and Jamaat-e-Islami demanded strict legislation, they all united again. He stated that billions are being collected from the public through the levy extortion, and the same people are sitting in all parties. Their disputes are all personal, and they all sit in the lap of the establishment. When JI stands up on any issue, they get it resolved.

He said that JI’s protest against IPPs produced results, and through struggle, it secured relief for the public in electricity prices. Now, having risen against the levy, this too will be resolved. He emphasized that this is not a personal agenda. The Prime Minister contacted them three to four times to stop the march. He said the package being offered is not relief — they do not want relief, they want the levy abolished. The purpose of today’s gathering in Lahore is to show the government that they are fully prepared. If the Prime Minister provides relief, they will go to Islamabad to offer gratitude; otherwise, they will march with full force.

Hafiz Naeem said that he also wants to tell the ministers not to flatter by claiming they stopped the march. He said they do not need to score points; the government should abolish the levy and take the credit if it wants. He noted that despite long-standing sanctions, Iran has been running an underground train for thirty years, and questioned why Pakistan lacks mass transit. He said the government only wants to place Nawaz Sharif’s name or Maryam’s picture on projects. He alleged that Maryam Nawaz destroyed Punjab’s fine education system, sold schools, and ruined good hospitals by converting them into Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics. He added that farmers are receiving wheat at black-market rates and accused Maryam Nawaz of destroying agriculture as well. He demanded that Maryam Nawaz answer for the eleven-billion-rupee jet she uses for personal trips.