KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) is set to launch its train march against the petroleum levy on Sunday, September 20, at 10 am from Cantt Railways Station. The march will be led by JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman to Islamabad, marking a significant escalation in the party’s ongoing protest movement.
The announcement came as the JI sit-in outside the Sindh Governor House continued for its 34th day on Friday. JI Karachi chief Monem Zafar Khan addressed participants at the sit-in, as well as fishermen and supporters participating in a sea march held at the coastal strip of Rehri Goth.
The JI leader stated that the train march would be received at Landhi and Drigh Road stations, with additional convoys joining along the way. Furthermore, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman is scheduled to address a large public meeting at the Dharna camp at Sindh Governor House on Saturday, September 19. Thousands of people from Karachi are also expected to reach Islamabad by buses and private vehicles. “We are peaceful people and believe in a constitutional, legal, and democratic struggle,” Monem Zafar said. “In the 34-day Karachi Dharna and at any place in other cities of the country, not a single stone was pelted and no property was damaged. We will enter Islamabad in a highly organised and peaceful manner.”
He warned that government containers and hurdles would not be able to block the way, adding that if state force and violence were used to block the march, the government would bear full responsibility for the consequences.
Referring to the petroleum levy as an “extortion tax,” he said it represented oppression against the people. He criticised the government for continuous dilly-dallying in the name of negotiations while simultaneously increasing petrol and diesel prices daily, imposing further financial burdens on the public. “People are being deceived in the name of a so-called relief package. The government is not ready to end its extravagance,” he added.
Meanwhile, a sea march was held at the coastal strip of Rehri Goth under Monem Zafar’s leadership. A large number of fishermen’s boats participated, displaying banners and placards against the petroleum levy. The fishermen expressed full solidarity with JI’s struggle against the exorbitant increase in petroleum product prices and supported the party’s demands.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
Comments