JI sets Quetta rally for Nov 22, Lahore gathering for Nov 29
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman says Peshawar and Karachi will follow, and repeats demands on petroleum levies, fertiliser and wheat costs and delayed local government elections.
Jamaat-i-Islami emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman announced on Wednesday that the party will hold a public gathering in Quetta on Nov 22 and a rally at Minar-i-Pakistan in Lahore on Nov 29, part of a campaign against inflation, farmers' costs and delays in local government elections.
Speaking at a press conference at the party's Mansoorah headquarters in Lahore, Rehman said gatherings in Peshawar and Karachi would follow. Daily Times reported that the JI has demanded the removal of petroleum levies for more than two months.
Rehman said international oil prices had fallen without relief reaching consumers. Petrol and diesel prices were cut six times recently, he said, but transport fares stayed the same, so essential goods remain expensive. He claimed LPG was selling above Rs500 a kilogram despite the official rate.
On farming, he said a 50-kilogram bag of DAP fertiliser now costs more than Rs17,000 and urea is short in local markets. Wheat is selling at about Rs5,500 per 40 kilograms, against less than Rs3,500 for the same quantity earlier, he said. He estimated that cotton-growing area had fallen by 60 per cent over ten years, criticised Punjab's agricultural policy, and raised sugarcane prices and possible delays in starting sugar mills. He also questioned the influence of large families in the sugar industry.
On local government, Rehman criticised Punjab's legislation and said the JI had approached courts over delayed elections and amendments to the law. He called the law undemocratic and said the party wants changes that guarantee timely polls and stronger local representation.
He said a joint technical team had prepared a draft agreement on petroleum levies, which government representatives will review before any relief is announced. The JI wants the benefit extended to vehicles up to 1,300cc, agricultural machinery and public transport, and will decide its next steps once the agreement is settled, he said. He urged the authorities to cut official privileges and refinery profits.
How the reports differ
Both outlets led with the rally schedule. Daily Times alone carried Rehman's cost figures, including DAP above Rs17,000 a bag, wheat near Rs5,500 per 40 kilograms, LPG above Rs500 a kilogram and a 60 per cent fall in cotton area, and it alone reported the draft agreement on petroleum levies. Dawn's summary said the JI has been demanding action from the Centre for more than two months without specifying the demand; Daily Times said the demand was the removal of petroleum levies.
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