JI Warns of Wider Protests as Fuel Relief Talks Stall

TIMERGARA: Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has warned that his party could broaden its protest campaign if the federal government fails to provide economic relief, sharpening political pressure ahead of a planned long march toward Islamabad on September 20. Speaking at a public gathering in Timergara, he linked the campaign to the petroleum levy, inflation and other costs affecting households across Pakistan.

Hafiz Naeem said the party's mobilisation was already extending beyond a single region. He pointed to the protest activity in Batkhela and said demonstrations and sit-ins were taking place in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan. The expanding campaign has placed fuel taxation and the cost of living at the centre of a nationwide political confrontation between the party and the federal government.

The JI leader also criticised the government's broader economic approach. He argued that authorities should take stronger steps to reduce pressure on consumers and questioned the level of government expenditure. He additionally called for changes in policies involving interest rates and accused powerful interests in the banking, sugar, flour and independent power producer sectors of benefiting while ordinary citizens face higher expenses. These claims remain the party's political position rather than independently established findings.

The protest campaign is unfolding alongside formal negotiations with the federal government. Two rounds of talks over the petroleum levy have already ended without a final agreement. A third round, initially expected on Monday, was moved to Tuesday after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed that additional time be taken for the discussions. Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal conveyed the government's position to JI Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch.

Separate committees have also been formed to examine the issues under dispute. The petroleum levy is expected to be discussed in the next round of talks, while matters involving independent power producers are scheduled for separate consideration. The federal negotiating side includes senior officials responsible for planning, petroleum, finance and political affairs, indicating that the dispute has become a significant economic and political issue for the government.

For Pakistan, the confrontation is particularly important because fuel prices feed directly into household transport expenses and can affect wider business and distribution costs. JI is seeking a reduction or removal of the petroleum levy and has maintained its street campaign while negotiations continue. With demonstrations reported across all four provinces, the dispute has moved beyond a limited party-government negotiation and into a broader debate over how economic relief should be financed and delivered.

The immediate focus will now shift to the next round of government-JI negotiations. If the talks produce an agreement on petroleum-related relief, political pressure could ease before the planned march. If no settlement is reached, JI has indicated that it intends to continue mobilising supporters and proceed with the September 20 march toward Islamabad, making the coming negotiations a key test of whether the dispute can be resolved through talks rather than a further expansion of street protests.