Jamaat-e-Islami intensifies protests against petroleum levy

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leadership has intensified protests against the petroleum levy and ongoing power sector issues in Pakistan. JI Amir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman stated that while a planned long march was postponed following a telephone request from the Prime Minister, the party remains committed to its demands. He warned that if the petroleum levy is not abolished upon the Prime Minister's return, a new long march will be launched.

In Karachi, JI leader Munim Zafar announced the establishment of 25 demonstration camps to protest electricity shortages and the fuel levy, which he described as an “extortion tax” that exacerbates inflation. He also criticized the government's payments to independent power producers (IPPs) for plants that generate little to no electricity.

The party plans to expand its demonstrations to several other cities, including Charsadda, Swabi, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Larkana, Karak, and Karachi, as part of a nationwide signature campaign against the levy.