JI vows to intensify protests until petroleum levy is withdrawn

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has announced a phased expansion of the party’s nationwide campaign against the petroleum levy, warning that a wheel-jam and shutter-down strike could be launched if the government fails to withdraw the levy and reduce fuel prices.

 

Speaking at a JI sit-in outside the Punjab Chief Minister’s House in Lahore, Rehman said the party would first organise public gatherings and protest camps across the country before potentially moving towards a long march on Islamabad.

 

He said the protests had entered their fifth day and would continue until petroleum prices were reduced and the levy abolished. JI sit-ins are currently being held in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar, with plans for further mobilisation at the district and local levels.

 

Rehman criticised the government for retaining the petroleum levy despite fluctuations in international oil prices. He also questioned why consumers had previously faced higher diesel prices before the government recently announced a Rs32 per litre reduction.

 

The JI chief also criticised taxation policies, power-sector capacity payments, the performance of the FBR and government spending on public services. He called for large landowners and other influential groups to be brought into the tax net rather than placing a heavier burden on salaried workers.

 

According to Rehman, the campaign will proceed in stages, with nationwide gatherings and support camps eventually leading to a possible wheel-jam and shutter-down strike and, if demands remain unmet, a long march towards Islamabad.