Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) initiated a fresh wave of protests and sit-ins on Sunday across major cities including Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta. The demonstrations targeted the petroleum levy, soaring petroleum product prices, and escalating inflation. These protests mark the continuation of the party’s nationwide campaign, following earlier rallies held at hundreds of sites earlier this month.
In Lahore, JI activists maintained their sit-in at Faisal Chowk on Mall Road after marching along the same route, culminating near the Chief Minister’s House. Punjab JI chief Javed Qasuri and other senior party leaders took part in the demonstration, with JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also joining the gathering. Addressing the crowd, Hafiz Naeem highlighted that a simultaneous sit-in was ongoing outside the Governor House in Karachi.
He sharply criticized the government for the rising petroleum prices and increased taxes, accusing the ruling authorities of imposing hardships on the populace. Hafiz Naeem condemned the petroleum levy as an “extortion tax” and “jagga tax,” questioning how many landlords linked to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) actually pay taxes on their agricultural lands. He demanded that the government reduce petrol prices to Rs225 per litre, stating, “Bring the price of petrol down to Rs225.”
The JI emir further denounced the feudal system, accusing landlords of exploiting impoverished farmers and asserting that an imposed group was controlling the country’s economic policies. He also pointed out that the salaried class has contributed approximately Rs700 billion in taxes, raising concerns about the unequal tax burden distribution across society.
Meanwhile, in Karachi, JI activists marched from various parts of the city toward the Governor House. Led by JI Karachi chief Munim Zafar, the protesters assembled for a sit-in outside the Governor House to condemn the petroleum levy and rising fuel prices. Police were deployed around the venue, while authorities kept the road from Fawara Chowk to the Press Club and Arts Council open for traffic.
Speaking from a makeshift stage atop a truck outside the Governor House, Munim Zafar warned the Sindh government and police against using force to disperse the sit-in. He cautioned, “If the government chooses the path of violence and force, it will be responsible for the consequences,” and affirmed that the protest would persist. Zafar emphasized that the high petrol prices negatively impact every citizen and sector of the economy, highlighting that young people and students effectively pay around Rs130 per litre in petroleum levy. He described the JI’s sit-in as the voice of the youth, students, and all citizens.
He also criticized Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to Karachi, pointing out that despite arriving with a large protocol convoy, the prime minister failed to address the city’s longstanding water crisis. Zafar vowed that JI would continue its campaign for Karachi’s residents and fight against what it views as an unjust system.
In Peshawar, JI activists held a sit-in outside the Governor House, resulting in the closure of the road between Saddar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Chowk. JI Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch was scheduled to address the protesters. Simultaneously, the party organized a sit-in in Quetta as part of the coordinated protests across all four provinces.
JI leadership had previously announced plans for demonstrations outside the Punjab Chief Minister’s House and the governor houses in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan. In a significant development, during a press conference in Peshawar on August 8, JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman criticized the government’s reliance on the petroleum levy for revenue generation, which shifts the financial burden onto ordinary citizens.
The party demands relief from high fuel prices and inflation while condemning what it describes as the excessive privileges and spending by the ruling elite. These latest protests follow JI’s nationwide demonstrations last week, which included rallies, sit-ins, and road blockades at hundreds of locations. The party aims to increase pressure on the federal government to alleviate the growing cost-of-living pressures faced by the public.
