MULTAN: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has announced that the party’s long march against the petroleum levy and rising fuel prices has been halted in Multan for the time being.

Speaking at a press conference in Multan, Hafiz Naeem said the decision was taken as a goodwill gesture following a telephone call from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who requested that the march towards Islamabad be postponed until his return to Pakistan.

The JI chief made it clear that the party had not withdrawn its demands. He said the party’s protest camps and sit-ins would continue, while the future course of action would be decided after his meeting with the prime minister.

Hafiz Naeem said the JI was seeking relief for the public, including the withdrawal of the petroleum levy, and would continue its campaign on the issue.

The march started from Karachi and reached Multan on September 22. Following the prime minister’s request for talks, the JI decided to halt the next phase of the march in Multan temporarily.