LAHORE, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 3rd Sep, 2026) Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday
said the government was committed to providing maximum possible relief to the people in
petroleum prices and welcomed positive suggestions from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) in this regard.
He was addressing a press conference along with the JI leadership, Special Assistant
to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah and Punjab Minister and Chairman
Cabinet Committee on Law and Order Khawaja Salman Rafique at the JI headquarters
in Mansoora after a joint meeting on petroleum prices, Independent Power Producers (IPPs)
and inflation.
Ahsan Iqbal said Jamaat-e-Islami was a sensible political party and the government respected
its democratic right to protest. He said the government and the JI shared the common objective
of providing relief to the people and would jointly work on finding ways to reduce petroleum prices.
He said the government would hold meetings with the JI’s expert team from Monday and openly
welcome positive and practical recommendations aimed at reducing the financial burden on the
public.
The federal minister appreciated the JI’s record of peaceful protests, saying the party had never
taken the law into its own hands and had maintained the country’s image. He stressed that political
stability was essential for economic recovery, as investors would not come to Pakistan in an
environment of instability.
“It is our joint responsibility to avoid situations that result in instability, as country’s financial
recovery depends on a peaceful and stable Pakistan,” he said.
Ahsan Iqbal said the government was extending its hand for cooperation to reduce inflation
and ease the financial burden on the people.
He added that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz
Sharif was also keen to reduce pressure on the public and the government was ready to consider
all positive recommendations.
He said the government had worked hard to steer the country out of economic crises, noting
that Pakistan was on the verge of bankruptcy only four years ago but had now emerged from
severe danger with the grace of Allah.
Referring to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, he said the government was
not participating in the programme by choice but wanted to complete it successfully. He said
experts from both the government and JI would jointly explore options to provide relief to the
people.
Rana Sanaullah said the JI leadership had patiently listened to the government’s position and
shared the view that practical suggestions could be made to reduce the burden of petroleum
prices on consumers.
He expressed hope that the joint dialogue would yield positive results, recalling that the government
had previously benefited from JI’s suggestions regarding IPPs, which contributed to efforts
aimed at reducing electricity prices.
Rana Sanaullah said discussions would continue for two weeks and expressed optimism
that both sides would succeed in finding measures to provide relief to the people.
JI Ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman announced the formation of a dialogue committee led
by JI Vice Ameer Liaqat Baloch and expressed the hope that both teams would reach
an understanding that could result in meaningful relief for the public.
However, he maintained that the party’s sit-ins and dialogue process would continue.
