KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) staged over 100 protest demonstrations across Karachi on Friday against soaring prices of petroleum products, electricity, and sugar. The protests were part of a nationwide campaign called by JI Pakistan Chief Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.
A large and diverse crowd, representing multiple professions and backgrounds, took to the streets at key locations throughout the city. Demonstrators carried placards and banners while chanting slogans against the government, accusing it of shielding powerful mafias behind the current price hikes.
Local JI leaders led the demonstrations in their respective neighborhoods, demanding immediate withdrawal of the recent fuel price hike, decisive action against the sugar mafia, and urgent reforms in the power sector. Protesters blamed the government for deliberate electricity generation shortages, an aging distribution network, and tariff policies that continue to burden the common citizen.
Earlier, JI Karachi Chief Monem Zafar addressed a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq, the party’s city headquarters.
He condemned the latest fuel price increase, calling it a “petrol bomb shell” dropped on the public. He noted that fuel prices had risen by a total of Rs18 within just one and a half months, warning that the impact would be direct and severe—pushing up inflation, increasing transport costs, raising prices of essential goods, and dealing a heavy blow to industrial activity. He expressed disappointment that decision-makers, who lead lives of luxury on taxpayers’ money, were inflicting hardship on the masses.
Monem Zafar also reminded Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz of their public promises to provide free electricity for consumption of up to 300 units. He said these pledges now seem hollow in light of the continuous rise in power tariffs.
Addressing the concerns of the business community, Monem Zafar slammed the government for its “anti-trade and industry sector policies.” He assured full support for the traders and industrialists’ legitimate demands and announced JI’s backing for the planned strike on July 19.
Turning his attention to Karachi’s structural and civic issues, Monem Zafar lashed out at the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), calling it a “cancer for Karachi” and labeling it the “most corrupt institution” in the city. He said the so-called “portion mafia” continues to thrive while acquiring legal building permits has become a “herculean task.” He held the PPP and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) jointly responsible for the worsening civic conditions in Karachi, where he said half the population continues to suffer from severe water shortages.
Commenting on the recent controversy over vehicle number plates, Monem Zafar pointed to the government’s announcement that no penalties would be imposed on existing plates until August 14. He credited public backlash for the policy reversal but raised broader concerns. He questioned the government’s priorities and pointed to the Safe City project—initiated in 2011 under court orders and budgeted at Rs30 billion—as a major failure.
The project was supposed to deliver 12,000 surveillance cameras across Karachi, but according to him, less than 20 percent have actually been installed. He urged the government to put its own affairs in order before forcing citizens to spend billions on new registration plates.
Monem Zafar also expressed concern over the post-rain management situation in Karachi, and highlighted the deteriorating law and order in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, warning that the worsening conditions in these regions reflect the government’s failure to maintain stability and deliver public services across the country.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025