JI Calls Nationwide Sit-Ins Against Petroleum Levy

Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman announced on Saturday that his party will launch countrywide protest sit-ins on Sunday against the petroleum levy, rising taxes and the broader cost-of-living burden facing ordinary citizens. The announcement was made in Lahore, where the party leadership outlined a coordinated plan for demonstrations in multiple provincial capitals.

According to the plan, JI workers and supporters will gather outside the Governor Houses in Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar, while a separate sit-in will be staged near the Chief Minister House in Lahore. The protests are scheduled to begin at 4pm, with participants expected to march from different areas before converging on the announced locations.

Hafiz Naeem said the campaign was designed to amplify the concerns of workers, students and low-income families who, according to the party, have been squeezed by fuel prices, utility bills and repeated taxation. He framed the protest as peaceful political pressure, but warned that any administrative attempt to block demonstrators could escalate the movement.

Speaking at a press conference at Mansoora alongside senior party office-bearers, the JI chief said the party wanted the government to hear the public’s frustration over economic policies. He argued that citizens were being forced to carry the burden of state spending while powerful officials and privileged groups continued to enjoy expensive benefits.

The party has demanded that the petroleum levy be removed and petrol prices be brought down to Rs225 per litre. It has also called for the price of roti to be fixed at Rs10, along with reductions in flour, electricity and gas prices, saying relief must reach households directly rather than remain limited to policy statements.

Hafiz Naeem also targeted official privileges, demanding an end to free fuel, electricity, gas and other benefits for elites funded by public money. He further proposed that vehicles used by ministers, advisers, judges, bureaucrats and senior officials should be restricted to smaller engine capacities as a signal of austerity.

The JI leader said the party had already held protests at hundreds of locations and claimed they remained peaceful. He maintained that the movement had no personal or partisan objective and was focused on public welfare, particularly the effect of fuel costs on transport, food prices and household budgets.

The latest call for sit-ins comes as energy pricing remains one of Pakistan’s most politically sensitive issues. Petroleum levies are often used to support fiscal targets, but they also have a direct impact on inflation because higher fuel prices raise the cost of transport, agriculture, electricity generation and daily consumer goods.

For the federal and provincial authorities, Sunday’s demonstrations may become an immediate test of crowd management and political negotiation. If the protests draw large numbers or continue beyond a single day, the campaign could add fresh pressure on the government to revisit fuel taxation, utility pricing and public-sector privileges.