ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The government and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Tuesday agreed to form a six-member committee to finalise recommendations for expanding the ongoing relief scheme for deserving people and devising a phased reduction in the petroleum levy.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a JI delegation led by Ameer Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a press release.
The meeting decided that the committee will consist of three members each from the government and Jamaat-e-Islami.
The prime minister nominated Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah to represent the government.
The committee will recommend ways to expand the ongoing petrol relief scheme to benefit the maximum number of deserving people and formulate workable proposals for the budget for a phased reduction in the petroleum levy.
The JI delegation included Liaquat Baloch, Syed Farasat Shah, Nasrullah Randhawa and Inayatullah. Federal ministers and senior government officials also attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the prime minister thanked the JI delegation for choosing negotiations over petroleum prices. The JI representatives called for abolishing the petroleum levy and providing relief to the public.
Shehbaz Sharif said he was fully aware of the financial burden on people caused by rising petroleum prices. He said the government had introduced relief measures for low-income groups in response to price increases linked to the prevailing regional situation.
He added that the government was making diplomatic efforts to help resolve the regional crisis and would continue providing relief within its financial capacity.
Briefing the JI delegation on the existing relief measures for the low-income group, the prime minister said 12.7 million people had so far registered under the government’s petroleum relief scheme.
JI warns of long march
Separately, in a press conference in Islamabad today, JI chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman warned of marching to Islamabad next month if no relief package was announced by then.
He affirmed that his party will not postpone its march any further, but it will now take place in mid-November.
“Let them announce this package, provide this relief, and devise a mechanism to abolish this extortionate levy before that, [but] if they do not do so, we might have to sit on the road to talk. We are prepared for anything,” he declared.
