Hafiz Naeem says nationwide movement gaining momentum

He claimed that the strike was also successful across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while business activities remained completely shut across Malakand Division. Hafiz Naeem said Jamaat-e-Islami’s movement represented the voice of ordinary people, adding that the rulers had made life increasingly difficult for citizens.

He said people were struggling to afford two meals a day, travelling had become difficult and consumers were receiving heavy electricity bills. He said petroleum levy had pushed fuel prices to record levels, while rising petrol costs had made essential commodities more expensive., every motorcyclist effectively pays 35 percent tax on petrol.

The Jamaat-e-Islami leader said the public had previously been unaware of the petroleum levy, claiming that it had no connection with petrol prices. He accused the rulers of burdening the public to finance their own privileges.

Hafiz Naeem said party workers had created awareness among the people and recalled that Jamaat-e-Islami had staged a sit-in against independent power producers (IPPs) two years ago, following which relief was provided to consumers.

He said the government had argued at the time that prolonged load-shedding made agreements with IPPs necessary., payments to power-generating companies were ultimately recovered from consumers, including the loans and interest owed to IPPs. He alleged that unfair agreements had been signed with IPPs since 1994.