JI chief seeks petrol price cut and end to fuel and power levies

KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Monday called for an immediate reduction in petrol prices and demanded the removal of levies on petroleum products and electricity, saying higher transport fares and inflation were adding to public frustration.

Speaking at a press conference at Idara Noor-i-Haq in Karachi, he said the government had first raised fuel prices sharply and then provided only limited relief. He said the pressure on low-income and middle-income groups was increasing because of heavy taxation, while influential people were having large loans written off.

He also criticised what he described as the ruling class’s lavish way of life and protocol culture. Hafiz Naeem said no government official should be allowed to use, at state expense, a vehicle with an engine capacity above 1300cc.

The JI chief urged the government to provide relief to the poor and the middle class. He also called for a review of agreements with independent power producers and proposed that take-and-pay arrangements should be changed into use-and-pay models.

According to Hafiz Naeem, Pakistan was paying for electricity and liquefied natural gas regasification capacity that was not being fully used. He said the country was making daily payments of around $538,000 for idle LNG terminal infrastructure.

Karachi civic issues

Turning to Karachi’s municipal conditions, he said recent rainfall of 38 millimetres had once again exposed the performance of the Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government. He alleged that the city continued to suffer from decay and neglect.

He directed Saifuddin Advocate, the opposition leader in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation City Council, to accelerate the process for a no-confidence motion aimed at removing what he called the illegally and unconstitutionally installed mayor.

On Sunday night, Hafiz Naeem also inaugurated the newly renovated Shahrah-i-Humayoun and Jefco Ground in North Nazimabad.

Comments on regional and global issues

The JI leader also expressed solidarity with the people of Iran and praised what he described as their steadfastness under pressure from the United States and Israel. He said Washington and Tel Aviv were pursuing a Greater Israel agenda and added that the conflict was rooted not only in politics but also in religious extremism and ideological motives.

He strongly criticised US President Donald Trump over policies he said were destabilising the region and the wider world. He declared Trump a risk to global peace and said the United Nations should take notice of the US president’s statements. "The UN should take notice of the implications of placing global affairs in the hands of an “unstable man”," he added.

Referring to Palestine, Hafiz Naeem said the Muslim world’s leadership had failed to respond adequately to the situation at Al-Aqsa Mosque and in Gaza. He urged Pakistan to play a leading diplomatic role alongside Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in shaping a regional strategy on Palestine.

He also called for closer defence coordination among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Iran. In addition, he demanded completion of the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline and independent trade ties with Tehran without succumbing to American pressure.