Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Monday warned that the party would march to Islamabad in mid-November if Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif did not abolish the petroleum levy.

The JI has been demanding for over two months that the Centre abolish levies, including Rs114 per litre on petrol and Rs100 per litre on diesel, as the total prices have skyrocketed due to conflicts in the Middle East since March.

A day earlier, the party said Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Special Assistant to PM Rana Sanaullah contacted JI Vice Emir Liaquat Baloch and it was decided that a meeting between the JI chief and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be held within the “next two days”.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Rehman said that JI had been patient and acted responsibly, considering the state of international affairs.

He added, “Now, the responsible thing to do is for us to be aggressive.”

“If the prime minister does not provide relief or abolish the petroleum levy, if he doesn’t take any steps, then in mid-November we will, with full force, march to Islamabad.”

He suggested that the government accept the issues and “handle” them beforehand by providing relief to the people of Pakistan.

Rehman said his party remained prepared to march towards Islamabad and recalled that federal ministers had contacted the party repeatedly.

“Liaquat Baloch Sahib has told them that nothing will come out of talks until something tangible is given,” he said.

However, Rehman acknowledged that the government had assured JI of “doing working” on the issue and “decide what can be achieved in the meeting with the prime minister”.

The JI chief reiterated that his party will continue to stand by the demand.

“We have told them the levy has nothing do with petrol’s price,” he said.

Rehman wondered what could “federal ministers possibly tell prime minister about the issue” considering that the party had already submitted its demands.

“We have never said no to a meeting but I want to say this clearly to the government that we don’t want a meeting so we can make an event out of it,” he said.

The JI leader also criticised the relief package announced by the government in September, claiming that it was brought about as a result of JI’s protests in 42 cities.

The “relief scheme” was announced for users of motorcycles, autos and vehicles of up to 800cc to “alleviate the burden” of rising global oil prices.

Under the scheme, those having two-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicles would get a relief of Rs100 per litre on a monthly quota of 20 litres, while those owning small vehicles of up to 800cc would get a relief of Rs100 per litre for a monthly quota of 30 litres.

Rehman on Monday said that the scheme was not enough for those, claiming that it did not cover various other motorcyclists, car owners or public transport.

He further said the package did not address soaring prices of groceries and goods due to rising diesel costs.

“Large political parties don’t even talk about nation’s genuine issues,” he claimed, adding that only JI had highlighted the concerns.

Last week, JI said it would hold talks with the government regarding its demand to abolish the petroleum levy and on further high-level contacts between them.

According to the statement, despite the planned talks, JI’s Baloch reiterated his party’s call for countrywide protests.

On Aug 16, the JI announced sit-ins in all the provincial capitals of Pakistan against the petroleum levy and had called for a nationwide strike on Sept 3.

However, when the day arrived, the two sides agreed to form committees to recommend measures to reduce the levies.

On Sept 20, the party launched a protest march towards Islamabad, warning that if the government failed to abolish the petroleum levy, the protest could turn into one to oust the government.

On Sept 22, the JI emir said his party, whose convoy had reached Multan, was postponing its long march at the request of PM Shehbaz, who had assured the other side of a meeting to discuss the matters.

However, in a press release issued last week, JI alleged that the government had made no further contact regarding the planned meeting between Rehman and PM Shehbaz.