PESHAWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami Khyber Pakhtunkhwa central emir Abdul Wasay on Tuesday said the party would hold a “massive” sit-in in Islamabad on Sept 20 against the petroleum levy despite the government’s attempts to block routes with containers.
He said the party had prepared plans A, B and C and would hold the protest at all costs till the government announced the withdrawal of the petroleum levy.
Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club, Mr Wasay said JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman would address public meetings against the levy in Mardan and Peshawar on Sept 18 and announce the party’s future course of action.
He was accompanied by JI central KP general secretary Sabir Hussain Awan, acting Peshawar district president Hamdullah Khan and information secretary Fazal Wahid Jadoon.
Mr Wasay alleged that the federal government was collecting billions of rupees every day from 30.5 million motorcyclists, rickshaw drivers and owners of small cars in the name of petroleum levy.
He said protests against the levy had been continuing at more than 40 locations across the country for the past month, adding that people had been forced onto the streets by rising inflation.
He cited the Sindh Assembly’s passage of a resolution against the petroleum levy and said the Balochistan Assembly was also expected to adopt a similar resolution.
He appealed to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to raise its voice against the levy and have a resolution passed by the provincial assembly.
The JI leader claimed that several political parties, including the Awami National Party and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, had expressed solidarity with the party’s campaign. He said traders and young people, particularly those badly affected by inflation, were also supporting the protest movement.
Mr Wasay termed the petroleum relief announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for owners of small vehicles a “blatant joke”. He said the proposed mechanism excluded vehicles manufactured before 2011 and had been made unnecessarily complicated.
He also criticised the formation of anti-fraud committees, saying the government’s arrangements suggested that the relief scheme could lead to further complications instead of benefiting the public.
He alleged that millions of rupees had been spent on advertisements to publicise the relief package and urged the government to reduce its expenditures and focus on resolving people’s problems.
“People are bearing the burden of inflation while the rulers continue to enjoy lavish lifestyles,” he said, alleging that the children of the ruling elite studied in London and senior politicians travelled abroad for medical treatment.
Mr Wasay said the party would continue its Islamabad sit-in even if it lasted a month or longer, until the government announced the abolition of the petroleum levy.
He said participation of young people in the JI campaign was increasing as petroleum prices continued to rise, claiming that “people’s eyes are now on Jamaat-i-Islami”.
Responding to a question, he said the party was engaged in negotiations with the government over the petroleum levy. However, he warned that the talks would be called off immediately if the government showed a lack of seriousness.
Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2026
