ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar held a follow-up meeting with a delegation of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Tuesday to continue consultations on petroleum prices and relief for the public, with both sides agreeing to keep talking rather than announcing a final deal.

The meeting, held in Islamabad, was led on the JI side by the party's deputy chief, Liaquat Baloch. According to the Foreign Ministry, the two sides held constructive discussions on measures to provide relief to consumers, particularly low-income households, and agreed broadly on the need to address public concerns through continued consultation and cooperation.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Dar welcomed the positive spirit of the engagement and reiterated that the government remained focused on supporting ordinary households amid prevailing economic challenges.

Who attended the meeting

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Inter-Provincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa attended the meeting, along with the Special Secretary of the Petroleum Division and the Additional Secretary of the Finance Division.

The JI delegation included Syed Firasat Shah, Nasrullah Randhawa and Inayatullah Khan, alongside Baloch.

What Jamaat-e-Islami is asking for

The talks are part of a negotiation that has run for weeks over JI's demand for the abolition of the petroleum levy and a relief package for the public. JI has presented six proposals, including abolishing the levy, introducing a relief package, reducing public transport costs and extending relief to owners of vehicles above 800cc and the agricultural sector.

In an earlier round of talks, the government agreed to extend a fuel relief package to farmers and owners of vehicles up to 1000cc, while both sides acknowledged that abolishing the petroleum levy was essential. JI has warned that it will be justified in launching a long march from Multan towards Islamabad in mid-November if relief is not delivered.

The levy at the centre of the dispute

The petroleum levy currently stands at Rs80 per litre on both petrol and diesel. Petrol was priced at Rs346 per litre and high-speed diesel at Rs378 per litre on 7 November, and the federal government collected Rs220 billion through the levy in the first two months of the current fiscal year, July and August.

Reports have noted that the budget framework agreed with the International Monetary Fund under a $7 billion Extended Fund Facility leaves the government little fiscal space to cut the levy at this stage, which is why the two sides are working on a phased approach and targeted relief instead of an immediate abolition.

What happens next

Both negotiating teams have been preparing working papers on the gradual elimination of the levy and on measures to provide relief to the public. JI chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman is to review any draft agreed by the two sides before the party announces its future course of action.

For now, the talks remain open. Neither side has announced a date for a final agreement, and the outcome of the continuing consultations will decide whether the negotiations produce concrete relief on energy pricing or whether the two sides remain divided on how far and how fast any package can go.