KARACHI — Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan (JI) Chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has announced simultaneous protests and sit-ins in 150 cities across the country on Friday, escalating his party’s campaign against the petroleum levy and mounting public grievances.
Addressing a gathering in Karachi, the JI emir demanded that the government abolish the petroleum levy outright, warning that his party would otherwise march on Islamabad.
A Struggle for Systemic Change
Hafiz Naeem framed the campaign as part of a broader effort to bring about systemic change in Pakistan, insisting that the party’s objective was not political point-scoring but serving the people.
He said JI’s competition was not with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), but rather measured in terms of development and public service across its nine towns. He further claimed that no political party in Pakistan was seriously addressing public issues.
According to the JI chief, the party launched its campaign against the petroleum levy to raise public awareness, and people across the country are now familiar with the issue.
A Campaign Months in the Making
The announcement marks the latest phase in a sustained pressure campaign by the party:
- On Aug 16, the JI announced sit-ins in all provincial capitals against the petroleum levy and called for a nationwide strike on Sept 3.
- On Sept 20, the party launched a protest march towards Islamabad, warning that if the government failed to abolish the levy, the protest could turn into a movement to oust the government.
- On Sept 22, the JI emir said the party, whose convoy had reached Multan, was postponing its long march at the request of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, pending a meeting with him.
With Friday’s nationwide demonstrations, the party appears to be reigniting its pressure strategy, keeping the petroleum levy at the centre of its political agenda and leaving open the possibility of a renewed march on the federal capital.
