PESHAWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami has rejected the federal government’s decision to determine petroleum prices daily and announced a nationwide protest campaign on August 7 under the leadership of party chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.

Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, JI Central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Emir Abdul Wasey said the party had already launched its protest movement against the government’s economic policies and what he described as ‘unprecedented inflation’.

Accompanied by JI provincial general secretary Sabir Hussain Awan, Mr Wasey said the previous practice was to determine petroleum prices in the annual budget. Still, the mechanism had gradually shifted from monthly to fortnightly, weekly, and now daily revisions.

He criticised the government for delegating pricing powers to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), saying the regulator was “not accountable to the public.” According to him, the move had created uncertainty in the economy and increased the financial burden on ordinary citizens, including students, salaried employees and low-income families.

Mr Wasey urged the government to immediately withdraw the daily pricing mechanism for petroleum products. He also announced JI’s full support for the nationwide strike called by the All-Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (APPDA).

He said protests would be held at more than 1,000 locations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while demonstrations would also take place across the country on August 7.

Referring to the petroleum levy, Mr Wasey alleged that the government was collecting Rs17 per litre under the Petroleum Levy Ordinance and criticised the policy as unjustified.

Mr Wasey criticised the PTI-led government for appointing 23 parliamentary secretaries, alleging that the move aimed to appease internal party members and would place an additional financial burden on the public exchequer through official vehicles, staff and other benefits.

He also accused the provincial government of withholding funds from the University of Peshawar, saying the decision had forced university employees to stage protests.

He demanded the immediate release of funds to public universities in the province, and called on the government to halt what he described as the destruction of higher education under the guise of outsourcing.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2026