Jamaat-i-Islami launched its Islamabad protest march on Sunday against the petroleum levy, with party Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman warning that if the government failed to abolish the levy, the JI’s protest could escalate into a movement to oust the government. Addressing supporters at Karachi’s Cantonment Station before departing for the federal capital, Naeem said people from across the country had already set off for Islamabad in line with the party’s strategy.
He said a road caravan had also departed for the capital in addition to the “train march”. The rally, he added, would pass through Hyderabad, Landhi, Nawabshah, Rohri and Sukkur. “We will invite our sisters to join us once we reach [Islamabad],” he said.
Naeem said the purpose of the Islamabad protest march was to help relieve the burden on the least privileged. “Instead of providing relief to the people, the government has decided that it would make the nation pay for its bad governance,” he said. “We demand that the levy extortion should end. Petrol prices would then reduce quickly and reach around Rs200 per litre. That’s when the economy could move forward.”
The JI emir said the government had increased petrol prices more than any other state in the region. “The government wants to rob the common people in times of crisis,” Naeem claimed.
He said voicing complaints on social media was pointless, urging supporters to step out of their houses to protest the injustice. “For the past 36-37 days, nationwide protests have been ongoing,” he said, adding that protests were currently under way in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpur Khas, Larkana, Naushahro Feroze, Rawalpindi, Gujrat and various cities of KP.
“JI has mobilised entire Pakistan,” he said. “No hindrances can stop the protesters.”
Naeem also warned that when the marchers reach Islamabad, it was not guaranteed that the situation would remain under control. If the government tried to suppress the movement, the situation would get out of control, he said.
The party posted on X that the “train march”, led by its leadership, was continuing its journey towards the capital.
Source: Dawn News