Cemaat-i İslami Hükümetle İlk Turda Altı Öneri Sundu

JI submits six proposals as first round of talks with govt concludes

ISLAMABAD: The first round of talks between Jamaat-i-Islami and the federal government on abolishing the petroleum levy and providing relief to the public concluded in Islamabad on Monday, with the party submitting six key proposals to the government committee. Both sides agreed to hold the next round on Thursday. Last week, the government and JI agreed to form committees comprising experts to discuss recommendations for reducing the petroleum levy and providing relief to the public. The JI delegation was led by Vice Emir Liaqat Baloch and comprised Deputy Secretary Syed Farasat Shah, KP Emir Inayatullah Khan, Lahore Emir Advocate Ziaur Rehman Ansari, Islamabad Emir Nasrullah Randhawa, Naveed Ali Baig and Shahid Naeem. Meanwhile, the government side was headed by Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and included Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and State Minister for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani. Addressing the media after the meeting on Monday, Baloch said they had presented six detailed proposals to the prime minister’s team, emphasising that the “direct Rs80 petroleum levy per litre on petrol and diesel is severely impacting the national economy”. He clarified that peaceful sit-ins and protests across the country would continue while negotiations proceeded. “The primary objective remains providing immediate relief to the public,” Baloch added, urging rulers to cut state expenditures as sufficient budgetary margin exists to accommodate tax relief. Baloch also expressed concern over unfulfilled government commitments made during previous talks regarding independent power producers (IPPs), adding that daily petroleum pricing should be discontinued. He also noted that the current subsidy structures had failed to deliver and provide relief to the public. Baloch said it was encouraging that the government had always given priority to negotiations. He reiterated that dialogue was the only solution and said JI also understood that protests were not a solution. However, he told the government that public frustration was increasing due to rising electricity, gas and petrol prices. The party leader further said, “We know that we are caught in the IMF’s grip and that many decisions are being taken by the government out of compulsion.” Addressing the media, Iqbal said that the government had invited JI for talks to seek its actionable suggestions, which had now been formally received. The minister added that the meeting had been convened to review JI’s proposals regarding the petroleum levy in detail, adding that there were certain national economic realities that could not be denied. He noted that the relevant government institutions would review the recommendations and that any impractical points would be discussed openly with JI during the upcoming session. The planning minister said the government never wanted to overburden citizens, but global economies had been disrupted by regional tensions, including the US-Israeli war on Iran. “Petroleum prices would naturally ease once regional conflicts de-escalate,” he added. He stressed that the government and all stakeholders were concerned about the public interest and that the government did not want to impose any additional burden on the people. “If any relief can be provided to the people in any way, we will be very happy ourselves,” he said. Responding to a question about the policy rate, he said the government did not determine it, as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) was autonomous in this regard. He added that the SBP’s policy board decided the policy rate after taking inflation into account. Iqbal also announced the next course of action, saying JI’s proposals concerned various ministries and that the views of the relevant institutions would be sought on them. He said a second round of talks would be held within three days after feedback was received from the relevant institutions.