POL products’ prices and PL: Govt agrees to examine JI’s proposals

ISLAMABAD: The government and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Monday discussed the rising prices of petroleum products and the petroleum levy, as the government agreed to examine proposals aimed at reducing the burden on consumers.

The meeting, chaired by Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, was attended by Deputy Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan(JI)Liaquat Baloch and his delegation, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Rana Sanaullah, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, Bilal Azhar Kayani, and senior officials.

Speaking after the meeting, Iqbal said the talks were part of an understanding reached in Lahore that detailed discussions on the petroleum levy would be held in Islamabad.

“We all care about the public interest, and the government does not want to impose any additional burden on the people,” Iqbal said, adding that the government would itself be pleased if any possible relief could be provided to the public.

He said petrol prices had declined when relations between the United States (US) and Iran improved, but had to be increased due to renewed tensions.

Iqbal said Monday’s meeting was held to examine Jamaat-e-Islami’s working paper on the petroleum levy in detail. He added that the party’s proposals covered different ministries and would be referred to the relevant ministries for their views.

“After receiving feedback from the relevant institutions, the second round of talks will be held within three days,” he said.

The planning minister also pointed to the country’s economic constraints, saying there were “certain national economic realities” that could not be ignored.

Clarifying the issue of the policy rate, Iqbal said the government did not determine the interest rate, as the State Bank of Pakistan was autonomous in this regard. He said the central bank’s policy board decided the policy rate after taking inflation and other relevant economic indicators into account.

Rana Sanaullah said it was a positive sign that Jamaat-e-Islami had kept the door open for negotiations on every issue.

Liaquat Baloch said negotiations were the only way forward and acknowledged that protests could not provide a lasting solution.

“We are happy that the PML-N government has always given negotiations the priority,” Baloch said.

He, however, expressed concern over the rising prices of electricity, gas and petrol, saying the situation was increasing frustration among the public.

Baloch also acknowledged the country’s economic constraints, saying, “We know that we are caught in the IMF’s grip and that many decisions are being taken by the government out of compulsion.”

Iqbal said the government would welcome all practically implementable proposals, while proposals deemed unworkable would be explained to the JI.

He added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wanted the benefits of economic recovery to translate into relief for the people.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026