KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) launched its protest march towards Islamabad on Sunday, with party Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman warning that the campaign could turn into a movement to oust the government if the petroleum levy is not abolished.
Rehman addressed supporters at Karachi Cantonment Railway Station before departing for Islamabad. He said people from across the country had also started travelling towards the federal capital through different routes.
The JI chief said a road caravan was travelling alongside the train march. The train would pass through Hyderabad, Landhi, Nawabshah, Rohri and Sukkur before continuing towards Islamabad.
He said the protest aimed to reduce the financial burden on ordinary citizens.
“Instead of providing relief to the people, the government has decided that it would make the nation pay for its bad governance,” Rehman said.
He demanded the withdrawal of the petroleum levy and claimed that petrol prices could fall to around Rs200 per litre if the levy was abolished.
Rehman accused the government of increasing fuel prices while failing to provide sufficient relief to the public. He urged people to join the protest rather than limiting their complaints to social media.
The JI emir said nationwide protests had continued for more than a month. He said demonstrations were taking place in several cities, including Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpur Khas, Larkana, Naushahro Feroze, Rawalpindi, Gujrat and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“JI has mobilised entire Pakistan,” he said, warning that no obstacle would stop the protesters.
Rehman also warned that the situation could become difficult to control if the government attempted to suppress the movement.
“If the government does not listen to talks, it will have to listen to public pressure,” he said.
The party said its train march would reach Rohri and Sukkur, where a rally was scheduled for Sunday evening. Protesters would then continue towards Multan on Monday.
The JI has been protesting against the petroleum levy, which the party says has placed an additional burden on consumers. The party has demanded its complete withdrawal.
JI chief says movement represents public grievances
As the JI convoy reached Hyderabad, Rehman addressed party workers at Hyderabad Railway Station.
He said the turnout at the station showed public support for the party’s campaign against rising prices and the petroleum levy.
Rehman urged people to travel to Islamabad and said the JI was not pursuing any personal or party interest.
“The matter concerns the people of Pakistan,” he said.
He described the march as a major phase of the party’s protest campaign. He said people from different parts of the country were being mobilised to demand withdrawal of the levy.
On negotiations with the government, Rehman said the JI had held talks but had not received a proposal that addressed its demands.
He said the party would continue negotiations if the government offered meaningful relief.
The latest escalation followed several rounds of talks between the JI and the government. On Saturday, a government delegation met JI leaders at the party’s Mansoorah headquarters in Lahore but failed to resolve the dispute.
The government had urged the JI to postpone the march, citing security concerns. JI leaders, however, maintained that the march would continue until the petroleum levy was withdrawn.
The JI had earlier announced that protesters would begin travelling towards Islamabad from September 20, with the main march expected to reach the capital on September 23 and 24.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has also announced a protest in Islamabad on September 27, with the release of party founder Imran Khan among its demands.
