Jamaat-e-Islami Takes To Pakistan’s Streets, Targets Govt And IMF Over Rising Petrol Levy

Thousands of protesters took to the streets across Pakistan on Friday, rallying against rising fuel prices, a hefty petroleum levy and the country’s worsening cost-of-living crisis, The Express Tribune reported.

Protests, rallies and sit-ins were held at more than 500 locations, disrupting traffic in major cities including Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Abbottabad. Protesters blocked key roads and highways, carrying placards demanding the withdrawal of the petroleum levy and immediate relief from rising prices.

The nationwide demonstrations were organised by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), whose chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman warned that the protests would intensify.

Speaking at a sit-in in Lahore, Rehman described Friday’s mobilisation as only a “trailer”, signalling that a larger phase of the campaign was still to come. He said JI would hold further sit-ins outside the Punjab Chief Minister’s House in Lahore and the Governor Houses in Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta on Sunday, August 9.

Rehman also called on party workers to step up door-to-door mobilisation ahead of the next round of protests.

Rehman launched a sharp attack on the government’s economic policies, accusing authorities of pushing the burden of rising fuel and electricity costs onto ordinary citizens.

He also rejected the government’s argument that conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) limited its ability to reduce the petroleum levy.

“You claim that the IMF won’t allow this (easing up fuel prices). So to hell with you and your IMF. Stop oppressing the poor, stop oppressing students. We don’t accept this levy,” Rehman was quoted as saying by India Today.

The JI chief warned that the agitation could continue if the government failed to address the party’s demands. He said the protests would remain focused on securing relief for citizens facing rising household expenses.

Pakistan’s economic pressures have continued to fuel public discontent, with higher petrol prices feeding into transportation costs and the prices of essential commodities.

The latest protests reflect growing anger over the financial strain faced by households, as Jamaat-e-Islami seeks to turn opposition to the petroleum levy into a broader nationwide movement against rising living costs.