Jamaat-e-Islami postpones Islamabad long march after PM Shehbaz's call, but vows protest continues

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman announced on Tuesday that the party is postponing the next phase of its march on Islamabad and will remain in Multan until a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Speaking at a press conference in Multan, Hafiz Naeem said the prime minister had contacted him by telephone and requested that the march be postponed, while inviting the JI leadership for talks. The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the call, saying Shehbaz asked JI to “postpone the sit-in” and that both leaders agreed to meet after the prime minister returns from his official visit to the United States.

The long march, launched on Sunday to protest against the petroleum levy, reached Multan on Monday night. Rehman was adamant the movement is not being abandoned: “We will not step back from our protests. We will not step back from our long march either,” he said, adding that if the meeting brings no relief, the party will resume the march “in the first week of October … with the same force.” The Multan sit-in and protests continue in the meantime — “Whatever happens, we will continue our movement and the sit-ins will continue.”

JI’s demands remain the abolition of the petroleum levy and lower fuel prices. The party says the government’s relief measures are insufficient and it wants written assurances before deciding its future course. Officials have told JI the levy cannot be reduced because of Pakistan’s IMF programme commitments. The party says it has staged sit-ins at 510 locations nationwide and a shutter-down strike as part of the campaign.

Sources

• Geo News: JI postpones Islamabad long march, stays in Multan until meeting with PM Shehbaz — geo.tv
• Dawn: JI puts off Islamabad long march after PM’s appeal, but vows not to abandon protest against petrol levy — dawn.com
• The Express Tribune: PM Shehbaz calls JI chief, asks to postpone Islamabad march — tribune.com.pk