JI Warns of Nationwide Shutdown, Islamabad March Over Petroleum Levy

Jamaat-i-Islami has warned that its continuing campaign against the petroleum levy could escalate into a nationwide shutdown, road blockades and a march on Islamabad if the federal government does not withdraw the charge. JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman issued the warning on Tuesday while addressing a press conference at the party's protest camp outside the Punjab chief minister's residence in Lahore.

Rehman said the protest movement had entered its tenth day and was expanding across Pakistan. He argued that rising fuel-related costs and taxation were placing an increasing burden on households, workers, students and commuters, and maintained that the government had yet to offer relief sufficient to end the demonstrations. JI intends to continue its sit-ins while preparing for a broader phase of political mobilisation.

According to the JI chief, the party plans to announce a date for a nationwide strike on 13th Rabi-ul-Awwal. He said protest activity would continue during Eid Miladun Nabi events and claimed that party workers and supporters had been mobilised in all four provinces. A countrywide shutdown and march towards the federal capital remain among the options JI says it could exercise if negotiations do not produce an agreement.

The petroleum levy is at the centre of the party's campaign. Rehman called for its immediate abolition along with other taxes imposed on fuel, arguing that ordinary consumers were being forced to absorb costs arising from government economic decisions. He also demanded that the price of roti be reduced to Rs10, linking the fuel campaign with broader concerns about household expenses and inflationary pressure.

The JI leader also turned attention to the power sector, calling for a forensic audit of coal imports connected with independent power producers. He alleged that irregularities in coal-related transactions required an independent investigation to identify those who may have benefited. Rehman maintained that consumers were ultimately paying the price for expensive electricity arrangements and other weaknesses in the energy system.

Referring to JI's earlier campaign against independent power producers, Rehman claimed that sustained public pressure had contributed to a reduction of roughly Rs10 per unit in electricity prices. He presented the previous campaign as evidence that street pressure could produce policy changes and warned that the current protest would also be intensified if the petroleum levy issue remained unresolved.

Rehman invited the government's negotiating committee to visit the Lahore protest camp and provide a clear explanation of when the levy could be withdrawn and what relief measures would be offered to the public. He indicated that JI was not prepared to travel to Islamabad merely for a briefing without substantive movement on its demands, placing responsibility on the government to decide whether talks can prevent further escalation.

The immediate next step will be whether federal authorities engage JI with a concrete proposal before the party announces its nationwide strike schedule. Any expansion into road blockades, a shutter-down strike or an Islamabad march could increase political pressure on the government and disrupt transport and commercial activity across Pakistan. The coming days will therefore be closely watched for negotiations between the two sides and for JI's decision on the next phase of its anti-levy campaign.