LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan has hit back at Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah over his criticism of the party’s ongoing sit-ins, challenging the PML-N leadership to compare its own record of public mobilisation with the turnout at JI protests.
In a statement on Tuesday, the JI spokesperson said the PML-N should look at its own political history instead of questioning public participation in Jamaat-e-Islami’s protests against the petroleum levy.
The spokesperson claimed that when Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan in 2018, then Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Rana Sanaullah could mobilise only around 150 people from across the country to receive the former prime minister.
“In contrast, JI sit-ins against the petroleum levy are continuing simultaneously in three major cities, with thousands of people participating every day,” the spokesperson said.
The JI spokesperson said the PML-N had managed to gather only around 150 people in Lahore for Nawaz Sharif’s return despite bringing supporters from across the country, while the party’s current protests were attracting a growing number of citizens.
The spokesperson rejected the impression that the JI campaign was aimed at any particular political party or leader, saying the protests were focused on an excessive burden on ordinary citizens.
“The protest is against the burden being placed on people’s pockets, the petroleum levy and the government’s extravagant spending,” the spokesperson said.
The JI also rejected criticism of the scale of its protests, saying public participation demonstrated growing frustration over economic pressures and government policies.
“The looting of people’s pockets and the government’s extravagance will no longer be tolerated,” the spokesperson said, urging the government to stop mocking the protests and instead abolish the petroleum levy and provide genuine relief to citizens.
The spokesperson reiterated that Jamaat-e-Islami would continue its protest campaign until its demands were accepted and would further increase pressure on the government through public mobilisation.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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