JI warns it will expand ongoing sit-ins into wheel-jam, shutter-down strike

Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan's leader, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, has warned that the party will escalate its ongoing sit-ins into nationwide demonstrations, including road blockades and protests, if the government does not abolish the petroleum levy. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Rehman emphasized that the party would establish protest camps throughout the country and even march to Islamabad on foot if necessary. He addressed the sit-in in Lahore on Thursday and mentioned a public gathering in Karachi on Friday.

Rehman highlighted the severe impact of inflation on ordinary citizens and criticized the government, labeling the petroleum levy as an unjustified "extortionary tax" that has resulted in consumers paying around Rs80 per liter. He pointed out that while the levy was initially introduced to finance the upgrading of Pakistan's oil refineries, the government had collected over Rs8 trillion from consumers, while spending less than Rs100 billion on refinery upgrades.

JI sit-ins in Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar have been drawing larger crowds, including traders, religious scholars, youth, and civil society members. Rehman stated that the protests had become a platform for addressing various public grievances and urged citizens to support the campaign. He demanded that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reduce petrol and diesel prices by Rs130, arguing that the government should pass the full benefit to consumers.

Rehman stated that the government had already cut the price of high-speed diesel by Rs32.63 per liter and increased the price of petrol by Rs2.97 per liter. He also mentioned that JI would not participate in government briefings but instead wanted the ruling elite to engage directly with the protesters. He recalled the party's previous campaign against independent power producers (IPPs), which led to five IPPs being shut down and new agreements signed, saving the national exchequer Rs3.36 trillion.

Rehman argued that reviewing the remaining 73 IPPs could further reduce electricity prices within 12 to 18 months, as IPPs were also being paid for ungenerated electricity, ultimately burdening consumers.

He criticized the excessive privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite while low-income citizens faced rising taxes and living costs. Rehman pointed out that Pakistan's total debt had risen to Rs98 trillion and called for the elimination of interest-based financing to ease the debt burden. He also criticized the power tariff structure, noting that consumers continued to face high electricity bills while the government relied on additional charges to generate revenue.

He questioned the public's responsibility in this situation, given that the Federal Board of Revenue's 25,000 employees had failed to meet their targets.