Govt, JI agree to form committees to explore relief measures

The government and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Thursday agreed to form committees to deliberate on measures aimed at providing relief to the public amid rising inflation and petroleum prices. Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, speaking at a joint press conference with JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman and Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, said the government had already constituted a committee and asked the JI to form its own team of experts. The development came as the JI continued its nationwide protest against the petroleum levy, inflation and high electricity prices. The strike received a mixed response, with markets and shops partially closed in parts of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while businesses largely remained open in Punjab and Balochistan. A government delegation comprising Iqbal, Sanaullah and Punjab Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique held talks with JI leadership at the party’s headquarters in Mansoorah, Lahore. The JI negotiating team was led by its Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch and included Deputy Secretary Farasat Shah, Islamabad Emir Nasrullah Randhawa, Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari and Naveed Ali Baig. During the meeting, the JI presented its