Jamaat threatens march on Islamabad over petroleum levy
• Hafiz Naeem says sit-ins to be converted into shutter-down strike on 13th Rabiul Awwal • Party to stage indefinite protest outside Governor House in Quetta from 29th LAHORE / KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday warned the government that the party would expand its ongoing sit-ins into a nationwide movement, culminating in a shutter-down strike and a possible march on…
The Jamaat-i-Islami party, led by Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, has issued a warning to the government regarding a nationwide protest campaign against the petroleum levy. Rehman addressed a press conference at the party's sit-in site in Lahore, stating that the protests in the provincial capital had been ongoing for eight days and would continue until the government withdrew the levy.
He announced plans for protest camps across the country and a nationwide strike on 13th Rabiul Awwal, followed by a possible march on Islamabad if the government did not respond to their demands. Rehman criticized the government for imposing levies and taxes, stating that it was protecting the privileges of the ruling elite while burdening ordinary citizens.
He also alleged that the government and sugar mafia were manipulating the sugar market, despite 765,000 tonnes of sugar being imported without taxes. The party has announced a series of protest sit-ins across Islamabad, including in Ghori Town, Karachi Company, Sector G-7/3, B-17, and the PWD neighborhood. In Karachi, the JI's sit-in at Governor House has continued for eight consecutive days, with leaders insisting on the removal of the petroleum levy and relief for consumers.
The JI Balochistan also announced plans for an indefinite sit-in outside Quetta's Governor House, challenging unfulfilled government promises and rising lawlessness.
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