JI threatens to widen protest movement

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has warned the government that the party will broaden its ongoing protest campaign if its demands for relief to the public are not accepted.

Addressing a press conference at the JI sit-in at Faisal Chowk on Mall Road, Hafiz Naeem said the next phase of the movement could include wheel-jam and shutter-down strikes, closure of petrol stations and a long march towards Islamabad.

He said the protest was not being staged to secure political gains but to highlight the economic difficulties confronting ordinary citizens. According to him, persistent inflation has made essential services, including education and healthcare, increasingly difficult for families to afford.

Criticising the government’s taxation policies, the JI chief described the petroleum levy as a form of “jagga tax” and claimed that around Rs130 in taxes were being incorporated into the price of petroleum products, with the government collecting more than Rs105 directly.

He demanded an explanation for the use of the more than Rs4 trillion that he claimed had been collected through the petroleum levy.

Hafiz Naeem also questioned the performance of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), alleging that repeated failures to achieve tax collection targets had contributed to the government’s financial difficulties. He further raised concerns over capacity payments to independent power producers (IPPs), questioning payments for electricity that he claimed was not generated or supplied.

The JI leader said petrol and diesel prices had been reduced after the party launched its protests, but maintained that the government had yet to ensure transparency in the mechanism used to determine fuel prices.

He said the possibility of negotiations remained open and that JI representatives were scheduled to meet government officials in Islamabad. However, he warned that failure to reach an acceptable agreement would lead to the expansion of the protest campaign.

Turning to the country’s financial challenges, Hafiz Naeem criticised government borrowing from banks and alleged that certain financial institutions were receiving undue benefits. He claimed that around Rs8 trillion was being allocated for interest payments on loans while citizens continued to face prolonged electricity outages.

He also criticised the government’s handling of sugar prices, alleging that sugar mill owners alternated between claims of surplus and shortage, influencing import and export decisions and ultimately increasing the burden on consumers. He said farmers were also not receiving adequate returns while prices of essential commodities such as flour and sugar remained high.

The JI chief also raised concern over reports that Pakistani nationals were allegedly being held hostage in Somalia. He said several months had passed without their recovery and claimed that the party had approached the foreign and interior ministries as well as other relevant institutions.