JI to stage protest against petroleum levy

KARACHI: The Jamaat-e-Islami will soon call on youths across the country to stage roadside protests by switching off their motorcycles and vehicles on major highways. This was stated by the JI chief, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, at a press conference at the Idara Noor-e-Haq, the JI headquarters in Karachi, on Monday. During the press conference, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman launched a wide-ranging attack on the federal and Sindh governments, questioning PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on minimum wages, demanding abolition of the petroleum levy and calling on the government to secure the release of Priya Kumari and action against pirates holding Pakistani citizens hostage in Somalia. The JI chief said no one could survive on the provincial minimum wage of Rs43, 000 for a family of six. He challenged Bilawal to disclose how much laborers working on the Bhutto family’s agricultural estates actually earned, saying farm workers were given only a small share of grain and kept in conditions resembling servitude. He accused the PPP of sustaining a feudal culture within the party, where hereditary privilege counted for more than the contributions of long-serving workers. Turning to the federal budget, Hafiz Naeem said it had failed to deliver any meaningful relief to private-sector employees, laborers or ordinary citizens. He noted that while government employees received a modest salary increase, parliamentarians’ salaries and benefits had already been raised by 300 to 400 percent. He also expressed concern over the absence of any increase in pensions for Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) beneficiaries. The JI chief singled out the petroleum levy as an especially heavy burden on motorcycle riders and low-income citizens who did not even earn enough to pay income tax. He demanded that petrol prices be capped at Rs225 per liter, the petroleum levy be abolished immediately, and agreements with the Independent Power Producers reviewed and terminated. On the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Hafiz Naeem urged the government to pursue dialogue rather than force, and asked the action committee there to purge miscreants from its ranks and continue its rights movement within the framework of Pakistan’s Constitution. He also called on the government to secure the recovery of Priya Kumari and Pakistani citizens reportedly held hostage by pirates operating off the coast of Somalia. Hafiz Naeem accused the PPP of undermining democratic processes, reiterating JI’s claim that its mandate in the Karachi local government elections had been stolen. He also criticized the Sindh government’s performance on education, healthcare and public transport, pointing out that Karachi needed around 15, 000 buses while only 150 had been added — a figure he called grossly insufficient. He also questioned the state of major roads and infrastructure projects across the city. On international affairs, he said Muslim countries, including Pakistan, should take a stronger stand against Israeli military actions in Gaza and Lebanon, adding that Israel’s image as an invincible power had now been shattered. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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