JI Threatens Nationwide Shutdown, Islamabad March Over Fuel Levy
LAHORE/KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami has threatened to broaden its campaign against the petroleum levy into a nationwide shutdown and, if its demands remain unmet, a march on Islamabad. Party chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman announced the escalation as JI continued protest sit-ins over fuel costs and other economic pressures affecting households across Pakistan.
Speaking at the party's Lahore protest, Hafiz Naeem said demonstrations would continue until the federal government withdrew the petroleum levy. He announced plans for protest camps in different parts of the country and said a nationwide shutter-down strike would be called on 13th Rabiul Awwal. He warned that an Islamabad march could follow if the government did not respond to the party's demands.
The JI leader linked the campaign to the broader cost-of-living squeeze facing consumers. He criticised taxation and government spending policies and argued that ordinary citizens were carrying an excessive share of the economic burden. Hafiz Naeem also claimed public pressure had contributed to a recent reduction in the price of diesel and called for further relief in petroleum prices.
Fuel pricing has become an increasingly sensitive political issue as Pakistan deals with volatility in international energy markets. Authorities have moved to more frequent reviews of petroleum prices amid rapid changes in global oil rates, while transporters, petroleum dealers and political parties have all raised concerns about the impact of fuel costs on businesses and household budgets. Higher transport expenses can quickly feed into food prices and other essential costs across the country.
JI is also widening its protest activity in Islamabad. According to the party, a sit-in was held in Ghori Town on Sunday, with further demonstrations planned in Karachi Company, Sector G-7/3, B-17 and the PWD area. Additional protests are scheduled later in August in Bharakahu, Jhangi Syedan and Lehtrar Road as the party seeks to maintain pressure on the federal government.
In Karachi, JI's protest near Governor House entered its eighth consecutive day, with local leaders maintaining that the campaign would continue until relief was provided to consumers. JI Karachi chief Monem Zafar Khan accused the provincial and federal governments of failing to adequately address the burden created by fuel prices and the petroleum levy. The party has presented the Karachi demonstration as part of its coordinated national campaign rather than a separate provincial protest.
The movement is also expanding in Balochistan. JI's provincial leadership has announced an indefinite sit-in outside Governor House in Quetta from August 29, citing the petroleum levy, unmet government commitments and concerns about law and order. Similar protest activity across several cities indicates that the party is attempting to turn the fuel-price dispute into a sustained nationwide political mobilisation.
The government's next response will determine whether the confrontation intensifies after Eid Miladun Nabi. JI says assurances alone will no longer be sufficient and is demanding implementation of concrete relief measures before ending its sit-ins. If no agreement is reached, the planned shutter-down strike and threatened march on Islamabad could significantly increase political pressure on the government while disrupting commercial and transport activity across Pakistan.