LAHORE: (News Desk) – The fifth round of negotiations between the government and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) over the abolition of the petroleum levy began in Lahore on Saturday, with a government delegation reaching the party’s Mansoorah headquarters for talks.
The government team is being led by Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal and includes Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah Khan and Punjab Provincial Minister Khawaja Salman Rafiq.
JI’s negotiating team is headed by Deputy Emir Liaqat Baloch. Acting Secretary General Nazir Ahmad Janjua, Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari, the special assistant to the JI emir and other party leaders are also participating in the talks.
The latest meeting follows several rounds of negotiations between the two sides over the petroleum levy. The previous round was held in Islamabad on September 16.
The government’s renewed engagement with JI came ahead of the party’s planned “Super Long March” towards Islamabad on September 20. JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said the march will proceed if the government fails to accept the party’s demand for complete withdrawal of the petroleum levy.
JI has continued to insist that the levy be abolished, while the government has sought to address the issue through negotiations and relief measures. The party has said its protest campaign will continue until the levy is withdrawn.
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