JI gives government three days to review proposals

Baloch said the government would examine the proposals as negotiations between the two sides continue. ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami(JI) Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch said Monday that the party had presented six proposals to the government, which requested three days to review them. Baloch said the government would examine the proposals as negotiations between the two sides continue. He added that the party's protest campaign would also continue alongside the talks. He said the government had collected more revenue through the petroleum levy than the target set in the federal budget. Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal, speaking after talks with the Jamaat-e-Islami delegation, said negotiations would resume Thursday. Iqbal said no government wanted protests to take place in the country but acknowledged that governments sometimes face difficult circumstances. He said the party's proposals would be forwarded to the relevant ministries for consideration. He said the government sometimes faced difficulties, but JI's proposals would be forwarded to the relevant ministries for consideration. 'Everyone is concerned about the public interest,' Iqbal said, adding that the government did not want to place an additional burden on the people. He said the government would be pleased if relief could be provided to the public in any way. The meeting was held after JI's nationwide strike against the petroleum levy and inflation, which received a mixed response as markets and shops partially closed in parts of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), while businesses largely remained open in Punjab and Balochistan. The party has also been holding sit-ins for more than 20 days in provincial capitals and other cities as part of its campaign against the petroleum levy and rising inflation.