Miftah Ismail backs JI sit-in, calls for withdrawal of petroleum levy

Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman is making reasonable demands that do not require rocket science to understand,” he said. Miftah claimed that the government was collecting an additional Rs106.68 per litre on petrol through an Rs85 petroleum levy and other taxes.

He said more than 60 percent of motorcyclists in Pakistan rely on petrol for transportation. He rejected the government’s argument that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was preventing it from reducing taxes, saying the same institution had allowed spending on expensive purchases, including a ship worth Rs11 billion and bulletproof vehicles costing billions of rupees.

He also questioned why tax relief could not be provided to salaried individuals, while,, certain powerful business interests continued to earn billions of rupees. “The people are not asking for subsidies; they are demanding the abolition of taxes,” Miftah said.

He said the prices of petrol, diesel, electricity and gas had become excessively high, adding that inflation could put further pressure on interest rates set by the State Bank of Pakistan. Miftah said Pakistan’s debt had reached Rs85 trillion and warned that an increase in interest rates would further increase the government’s debt-servicing burden.

He alleged that the government was prepared to bear higher interest costs but was unwilling to provide relief to the people. He also criticised the government’s handling of wheat procurement, saying it had promised farmers two years ago that it would purchase wheat but later failed to fulfill the commitment, leaving farmers in a difficult situation.

Miftah described the JI sit-in as “the voice of 250 million people” and urged the government not to exploit the public’s economic difficulties. He called on the government to withdraw what he termed the “cruel” petroleum levy and provide relief to the people.

Miftah further claimed that unemployment in Pakistan stood at 21 percent, stressing that structural reforms were needed to address the country’s economic problems. He also called for the removal of those responsible for what he described as the existing system.