Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Monem Zafar Khan highlighted that Rs130 per litre of petrol is being collected as a petroleum levy. He revealed that the government amassed Rs1,566 billion from this levy last year alone.
Speaking on the fourth day of the JI sit-in outside the Governor’s House in Karachi, Zafar emphasized the strength of the movement, noting the significant participation of women and children. He remarked that no struggle involving women and youth can be suppressed.
He pointed out that the country has long been governed by nobles, feudal lords, khans, and tribal chiefs, and lamented that the original hopes and aspirations behind Pakistan’s creation remain unfulfilled.
Criticizing the government’s justification for the petroleum levy, Zafar stated that rulers claim the tax is necessary to repay the International Monetary Fund’s debt. However, he insisted that the petrol issue transcends JI and represents the voice of the entire nation of 250 million people.
The sit-in at the Governor’s House will persist, with plans to extend outreach through street-to-street contacts across Karachi in preparation for a major protest scheduled for August 21. JI chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman is expected to join the sit-in on that day. Zafar also urged women to bring their families to participate in the upcoming protest.
JI Women’s Circle Karachi Chairperson Javeda Faheem addressed the protesters, condemning the government’s continuous hikes in petrol and diesel prices despite widespread shortages of electricity, gas, and water. She highlighted the burden of heavy gas and electricity bills combined with steep taxes on the public.
Faheem stressed that women across the country demand the abolition of the petroleum levy, noting that over Rs8.5 trillion has been collected under this tax. She pledged that women will stand firmly alongside their brothers in this struggle.
She warned that if the public remains passive, their fundamental right to live could be jeopardized. Faheem also recalled that the government had previously terminated contracts of five Independent Power Producers (IPPs) due to public pressure from protests, which had saved billions of rupees. She vowed that such exploitative agreements would no longer be tolerated.
