Increased PL, rising fuel prices: JI stages massive protest sit-in

KARACHI: The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Karachi on Sunday staged a sit-in outside the Sindh Governor House in Karachi against what it described as an “excessive petroleum levy” and demanded an immediate reduction in petrol prices.

Thousands Karachiites reached the protest venue despite roadblocks and teargas at the venue. Protesters gathered near Masjid Khizra, close to the Sindh High Court, from different parts of the city and marched towards the Governor House under the leadership of JI Karachi chief Monem Zafar.

Addressing the protesters from a makeshift stage on a truck outside the Governor House, Monem Zafar warned the Sindh government and police against using force to stop the sit-in.

“If the government chooses the path of violence and force, it will be responsible for the consequences,” he said, insisting that the sit-in would continue.

The protest was held on the appeal of JI Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman as part of the party’s second phase of demonstrations against the petroleum levy and high petrol prices. The JI had staged countrywide protests on Aug 7 and subsequently announced sit-ins at the provincial capitals on Sunday.

Monem Zafar said similar protests had begun outside governors’ houses in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while a sit-in was being held outside the Punjab Chief Minister’s House.

“The heavy levy imposed in the name of petroleum levy must be withdrawn at all costs,” he said, adding that what he called the “business” being carried out in the name of independent power producers (IPPs) must also end.

He said the high price of petrol was affecting every citizen and every sector of the economy, claiming that young people and students were effectively paying around Rs130 per litre in petroleum levy. “The JI’s sit-in is the voice of every young person, student and citizen,” he said.

Monem Zafar criticised the government for imposing additional taxes on the public while, according to him, maintaining the privileges and expenditures of rulers. He also accused what he called the “Form 47 government” of protecting vested interests instead of addressing public problems.

Referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s earlier statements about resolving Karachi’s water crisis, he criticised the prime minister’s visit to the city, saying he had arrived with a large protocol convoy but failed to resolve its longstanding issues.

He said the JI would continue its campaign for the rights of Karachi’s residents and against what he termed an unjust system.

JI Karachi secretary-general Taufiquddin Siddiqui and district chiefs, including Mohammad Ashraf, Mirza Farhan Baig, Kamran Siraj and Mudassar Ansari, also addressed the gathering.

The protesters remained peacefully gathered outside the Governor House as the sit-in continued.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026