LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman announced on Friday that his party will march on Islamabad on Sept 20 to protest a petroleum levy, warning the government that the “decisive phase” of the movement would play out on the capital’s streets if the levy is not withdrawn.

Speaking at a public gathering in Gujranwala, Mr Rehman said caravans from across the country would converge on Islamabad and warned the government to heed public demands.

“If the petroleum levy is not abolished before the long march begins, the decision will be made on the roads of Islamabad,” he said, adding that the party would launch a movement to bring down the government if its demands were not met.

JI Central Punjab Emir Javed Qasuri, Gujranwala Emir Mazhar Randhawa and other party leaders, including members of the JI Women Wing, also addressed the gathering. Sit-ins against the levy in Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and other cities entered their 27th day on Friday.

Mr Rehman said he would address a women’s gathering in Islamabad on Saturday and that the sit-ins would expand further. He earlier chaired a meeting of JI leaders in Lahore to discuss the next phase of the protest.

The JI chief accused the government of favouring bureaucrats, landlords and influential families while the working class suffered and challenged Maryam Nawaz to disclose her income and expenditures to tax authorities.

He said the Sharif and Zardari families bore responsibility for the exploitation of the poor, noting more than 40pc of Punjab’s population lives in poverty.

Mr Rehman criticised the government over petroleum levy collections, saying Rs1,567 billion had been collected from citizens under the levy. He questioned why the government was imposing “jagga tax” while millions continued to lack access to basic healthcare and education.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2026