KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) central chief, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman led a “Super Train March” from Karachi to Islamabad on Sunday, marking a major phase of the party’s month-long protest against the petroleum levy, which it calls an “extortion tax”, and agreements with independent power producers (IPPs).
Thousands of JI workers and supporters gathered at Karachi Cantt Railway Station to see off the marchers, with prayers for their safe journey. The caravan is scheduled to travel to Islamabad, where the party plans to press the federal government to abolish the petroleum levy and provide relief to people facing rising costs.
Addressing the participants, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said JI workers and public convoys had already begun travelling to Islamabad under the party’s protest strategy. He said caravans would also leave for the capital from Bab-e-Khyber and Balochistan.
He called for abolition of petroleum levy. “The government should read the writing on the wall. This is not an issue of anyone’s ego. The government should take credit for ending the extortion tax. It has a way to provide relief to the people: abolish the petroleum levy and reduce the additional burden imposed on them,” he said.
He said the march was not for any political party or individual but for the rights of the people, who were facing severe difficulties because of government policies. “The white-collar class is being forced to live in misery, while the government is shifting the burden of its mismanagement and faulty policies onto the people,” he said.
He criticised the government for using international market prices as a reason to increase the burden of petroleum costs on consumers instead of reducing the expenditure of the ruling elite, cutting official and elite spending, lowering the number and expenses of official vehicles, and revisiting what he called cruel agreements with IPPs.
Hafiz Naeem also questioned the involvement of government representatives in the IPP sector and raised concerns about the interests of government officials in oil marketing companies, refineries, and the flour and sugar sectors.
“People are told to bear every difficulty. But if we continue sitting at home and accepting all this, more burdens will be imposed on them,” he said, adding that JI had taken to the streets to raise its voice for public rights.
He said JI had staged a 35-day sit-in in Karachi, while protests were continuing in Sukkur, Larkana and Hyderabad. Marches and sit-ins were also under way in different parts of Punjab. “We have no desire to protest in such severe heat, but raising our voice for the rights of the people is necessary,” he said.
The JI chief warned that if the petroleum levy was not abolished, JI would expand the scope of its protests and intensify its public campaign. “The government should take public demands seriously and take immediate steps, lest this protest turns into a movement to topple the government,” he said.
He described the Super Train March as a symbol of the people’s demand to be freed from the economic pressure created by inflation, additional taxes and government policies. “When we reach Islamabad, we will also call our sisters. Women from Karachi have gathered at the station in large numbers to see off the workers and are playing their role in the struggle for people’s rights,” he said.
JI Karachi chief, Monem Zafar Khan said the caravan’s journey from Karachi to Islamabad was not merely a train ride but an important phase in the ongoing struggle for people’s rights. He said it should be made clear that the petroleum levy was an “extortion tax” and had no connection with international petrol prices.
JI women’s wing office-bearers were present at Karachi Cantt Station to see off the participants with prayers. JI Sindh Emir Kashif Saeed Sheikh is scheduled to receive the marchers at various railway stations across Sindh. The caravan is expected to be welcomed at different stations along the route, with the party describing the march as a collective expression of public demands.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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