Govt, JI form committee to discuss fuel relief, petroleum levy

ISLAMABAD: The government and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) have agreed to form a joint committee to consider expanding the fuel relief scheme and discuss phasing out the petroleum levy, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Tuesday.

The announcement followed a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman to discuss the party’s demand for relief to the public.

Iqbal said the committee would comprise three government representatives — himself, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Prime Minister’s political adviser Rana Sanaullah — and three JI members.

He said the committee would explore ways to extend the relief scheme to more deserving people and develop proposals to phase out petroleum levies in the next budget.

Rehman, meanwhile, said JI would march to Islamabad in mid-November if the government failed to announce substantial relief and take steps towards abolishing the levy.

He said both sides agreed on expanding the relief scheme but differed over the mechanism for withdrawing the levy.

“We say eliminate the levy; they say we can move towards it phase by phase,” Rehman said.

The JI chief rejected a reported government offer to reduce the levy by Rs20-30, saying his party would continue preparing for the march while negotiations proceeded.

JI has been demanding the abolition of petroleum levies for more than two months and previously postponed its Islamabad march following the prime minister’s request for talks.