JI threatens nationwide shutdown over petroleum le…
Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has warned the government that his party could expand its ongoing protests into a nationwide wheel-jam and shutter-down strike if the petroleum levy is not abolished.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday, Rehman said the nationwide strike could begin after August 26, following 12th Rabiul Awwal.
He said the party would also establish protest camps in different parts of the country as part of its campaign. If the government failed to respond to its demands, he warned that JI could consider marching towards Islamabad on foot.
The JI chief said he would address the party’s sit-in in Lahore, while a public gathering was scheduled at its Karachi protest site on Friday.
Rehman said rising inflation had placed a heavy burden on ordinary citizens. He criticised the petroleum levy, describing it as an unfair additional charge on consumers.
According to him, consumers were paying around Rs80 per litre under the levy. He claimed the charge was originally introduced to support the modernisation of Pakistan’s oil refineries but that the government had collected more than Rs8 trillion through it while spending less than Rs100 billion on refinery upgrades.
He called for the immediate abolition of the levy and urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reduce petrol and diesel prices by Rs130 per litre.
The government recently revised fuel prices, reducing the price of high-speed diesel while increasing the price of petrol.
Rehman said the JI’s protests in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar were gaining support from traders, religious scholars, young people and members of civil society. He said the demonstrations had grown beyond the petroleum levy issue and were now highlighting broader public concerns.
He said JI would not attend government briefings as part of negotiations. Instead, he demanded that government representatives visit the protesters and engage with them directly.
The JI leader also referred to the party’s previous campaign against independent power producers. He claimed that negotiations following that protest resulted in the closure of several power projects and new agreements that saved the national exchequer Rs3.36 trillion.
He called for a review of the remaining independent power producers, arguing that negotiations could help bring down electricity costs within 12 to 18 months.
Rehman also criticised the government over the country’s growing debt, taxes and electricity prices. He claimed Pakistan’s total debt had reached Rs98 trillion and urged authorities to reduce reliance on interest-based financing.
He called for greater austerity in government spending and suggested limiting official vehicles to engines of up to 1,300cc.
The JI emir also criticised what he described as excessive privileges for the political elite while ordinary citizens continued to face rising living costs and taxes.
On provincial matters, Rehman accused successive governments in Sindh and Punjab of failing to resolve major economic and social problems.
He also criticised Punjab’s education policy and raised concerns over the outsourcing of thousands of schools.
