- Sit-ins planned outside Punjab CM House, Governor Houses.
- JI accuses govt of hiding corruption via petroleum levy.
- Hafiz Naeem welcomes Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday announced simultaneous sit-ins across all four provinces on August 16 in protest against higher fuel prices and the petroleum levy, accusing the government of using the levy to conceal corruption.
Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, he argued that petrol should cost around Rs225 per litre and criticised the government for failing to reduce fuel prices despite the end of the recent conflict in the region.
Global oil prices had surged during the US-Iran conflict and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of the world’s oil shipments passes.
He alleged that the government had generated substantial revenue through the petroleum development levy and claimed the mechanism was being used to hide corruption.
Announcing the next phase of the party’s protest campaign, he said sit-ins would be held simultaneously across all four provinces on August 16.
The demonstrations would be staged outside the Chief Minister House in Punjab and Governor Houses in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he detailed.
He defended the planned protests, saying public demonstrations were traditionally held on roads, and urged citizens to participate while calling on other political parties to support the movement.
The JI chief also alleged that corruption worth Rs1.3 trillion was taking place within the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), claiming taxes were being collected even from individuals with no income.
He said political parties had largely remained silent on the issue and described the party’s August 7 demonstrations as historic, adding that emergency services, including ambulances, were not obstructed during the protests.
Earlier on Friday, the JI staged nationwide protests against inflation, rising fuel prices, the petroleum development levy and higher taxes.
The demonstrations included sit-ins and road blockades at hundreds of locations across the country, including provincial capitals and other major cities.
The protests concluded with the party announcing plans to intensify its campaign and move into the next phase of demonstrations to increase pressure on the federal government.
The religio-political leader said that the aim was to push authorities to provide relief to people struggling with the rising cost of living, particularly high petroleum prices.
Welcoming the recently announced Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, Hafiz Naeem described it as an important development for the Muslim world and expressed hope that more countries, including Iran, would eventually join the arrangement.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on Friday signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, establishing a collective security framework that considers an armed attack against any member state as an attack against all three countries.
The JI emir said the joint defence pact should evolve into a strong network of cooperation among Islamic nations.
Responding to a question about Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s remarks regarding the “collapse” of the current governance system in the country, he said an acknowledgement of failure required a comprehensive review of the existing system.
He added that the Constitution already provided a mechanism for increasing administrative units and warned that any move outside the constitutional framework could create doubts and controversy.
Commenting on political alliances, Hafiz Naeem said his party remained in contact with the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), an alliance of the opposition parties, but noted that alliances had not produced positive results in the past.
He said political parties should continue their protests independently while speaking collectively on issues affecting the public.
