Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman on Thursday announced a nationwide strike for September 3 against the petroleum levy and rising fuel prices, warning that the party could further expand its protest campaign if its demands were not met.
Addressing a sit-in in Lahore, Hafiz Naeem said people had taken to the streets to demand a reduction in petroleum prices and that JI would seek the support of traders across the country for the strike.
“Our strike will be peaceful and not even a flowerpot will be broken,” he said, adding that he would personally meet representatives of the business community to encourage their participation.
The JI chief also announced a major rally in Rawalpindi on August 30 as part of the party’s ongoing protest campaign.
Hafiz Naeem warned that the party’s commitment to peaceful political resistance should not be interpreted as weakness. He said JI had several democratic options available if its demands were not accepted, including a long march and a wheel-jam strike.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah criticised the JI campaign, claiming that the public had rejected the sit-ins and that the party should end its protest.
Speaking on television programme Khabar, Sanaullah acknowledged that the issue over which JI had launched its campaign affected the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis, but questioned the effectiveness of the party’s protest.
Separately, Sanaullah said the government would continue talks with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) over its reservations. He said two meetings had already been held with a PPP team and another round of discussions was scheduled for Friday.
He expressed confidence that the government and PPP delegation would be able to discuss and address the party’s concerns.