TIMES REPORT
MARDAN: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Mardan chief Ghulam Rasool on Thursday announced that the party would stage a sit-in across the district on August 7 against the recent increase in petroleum prices, in line with a nationwide protest call given by JI Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.
Addressing a press conference at the Mardan Press Club alongside district general secretary Saeed Akhtar Advocate, former MPA Mian Nadir Shah and former tehsil nazim Ibrahim Buland, Ghulam Rasool said protest demonstrations would also be held in tehsils and major towns ahead of the sit-in.
He accused the government of placing an excessive financial burden on the public through the petroleum levy, claiming that more than Rs80 per litre was being collected in levy, which had increased hardships for poor people, students and labourers.
The JI leader said his party had consistently campaigned for the resolution of public issues and referred to its movement against Independent Power Producers (IPPs) as evidence of its commitment to protecting public interests.
He alleged that the government had used the US-Iran tensions as a pretext to sharply increase petroleum prices, adding that frequent changes pon daily basis in fuel prices were creating uncertainty in the country’s economy. He further claimed that the government was indifferent to the difficulties faced by the people and that powerful mafias were influencing national affairs.
Mr Rasool urged the public to actively participate in the party’s protest campaign against the hike in petroleum prices, saying public support was essential for resolving people’s problems.
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