HYDERABAD: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Monday said it was time Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif put his foot down and withdrew the petroleum levy to provide “much-needed relief” to people, while questioning the delay in the train scheduled to take the party’s march towards Multan.
The JI launched a protest “march” towards Islamabad on Sunday, departing Karachi by train and reaching Sukkur at night. Rehman had warned that if the government failed to abolish the petroleum levy, the protest could turn into one to oust the government.
The march reached Sukkur on Sunday night by Rehman Baba Express, from where it was to head towards Multan via Shalimar Express. However, there was a four-hour delay in the train’s expected arrival at Sukkur on Monday, which the JI chief questioned at a press conference.
“Does this delay have anything to do with our train march? Shalimar Express, which is not only a popular train but has been privatised, is delayed by four hours today,” he said.
“If this delay in its [Shalimar Express] is a usual delay, then the federal government should explain the performance of Pakistan Railways,” Rehman said.
He added that if a delay of four to five hours and its impact on the entire railway system were normal, then the government’s performance was for everyone to see.
According to an official at Karachi’s chief controller office, Shalimar Express reached Karachi late, at 7:20am, thereby delaying its departure back to Hyderabad. The official attributed the late arrival to a fault in the engine developed in Sanghar district’s Tando Adam.
Consequently, it reached Hyderabad at 1:25pm rather than the usual arrival time of 9:20am, delaying its expected time of arrival at Sukkur’s Rohri railway station, where Rehman’s caravan was waiting for it.
The train march plans to reach Multan via Shalimar Express, and then the JI would march by road towards Islamabad.
Addressing the media, the JI chief again termed the relief provided under the government’s scheme as insufficient, demanding that the petrol price be reduced.
“The government has earmarked Rs26 billion per month in this head for offering subsidised fuel to motorcyclists. We feel that even this Rs26bn will not be utilised because not all the motorbikes are registered, whereas the government is recovering Rs150bn in terms of petroleum levy per month from people,” he added.
Rehman also criticised the PPP, saying that while it claimed to support the JI’s campaign against the federal government, obstacles were allegedly being placed in the way of the train march and people seeking to welcome it.
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