Peshawar: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has warned that he will not meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif if federal ministers continue issuing statements against abolishing the petroleum levy, saying the issue will ultimately be decided on the streets of Islamabad. He said the JI would announce by October 12 when people would march to the federal capital, reiterating that the complete abolition of the levywas its demand. 'If the prime minister cannot abolish this extortionist levy, there is no need for us to meet him. We will meet him only when the people reach Islamabad and force the government to end it,' Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said while addressing a public meeting in Charsadda on Friday.He urged youth to prepare for a major struggle, saying the government could no longer deny the public its rights. The JI chief questioned the government's decision to collect an estimated Rs1,700 billion through the petroleum levy instead of reducing interest rates to ease the financial burden on the country. He said a one-percentage-point cut in the interest rate could save the national exchequer Rs594 billion. 'Why does the government want to collect billions from the people instead of reducing the interest rate and saving the national exchequer?' he asked, saying the rulers were protecting the interests of the banking sector.Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said JI had been campaigning for the rights of 250 million Pakistanis for the past three months. He cited rising flour prices, the difficulties faced by farmers and expensive fertiliser as evidence of the government's failure to provide relief. He also criticised the sugar industry, saying sugar mill owners were exporting sugar before making profits through subsequent imports. He said powerful business groups operated through major political parties and exploited ordinary citizens. 'The government must stop deceiving the nation in the name of the IMF. Does it seek the IMF's permission before spending billions on aircraft and the luxuries of the ruling elite?' he asked.The JI emir also criticised independent power producers (IPPs), saying that their agreements were being used to exploit consumers. He said the flour, sugar, power and land mafias financed political parties, while the public continued to bear the cost of the existing system.He said political parties dominated by feudal lords, influential families and powerful individuals were exploiting the country for decades, and urged people to recognise the nexus between political and capitalist elites.Highlighting the education crisis, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said 4.8 million children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were out of school. He said that schools were being sold off across the four provinces and that people continued to lack basic facilities. He said the ruling political parties had repeatedly joined hands to protect their interests, citing their support for extending the tenure of a former army chief as an example.Turning to the political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he criticized the ongoing confrontat ion between the provincial and federal governments and said that candidates associated with Form 47 had been imposed on the people. 'What kind of system is this that denies people their rights but demands obedience from them?' he asked, adding that Pakistan needed genuine political leadership.He said a vacuum existed in the country's political landscape and added that only Jamaat-e-Islami could fill it. He called on party workers to unite the public and expose representatives of imperialist interests.Earlier, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman addressed a graduation ceremony under the Bano Qabil programme organised by Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan in Peshawar. He also announced the launch of the programme in Charsadda and thanked political parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for supporting the JI's public meeting against the petroleum levy.JI KP Central Emir Abdul Wasay and district emir Shah Hussain alsoaddressed the Charsadda gathering, which was attended by a large number of activists from Islami Jamiat Talaba and Jam iat Talaba Arabia.