JI announces sit-ins outside key govt offices on August 16

PESHAWAR: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has announced simultaneous sit-ins outside key government offices in all four provinces on August 16 against the high petroleum levy, electricity costs and alleged corruption.

Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, Rehman accused the government of using the Petroleum Development Levy (PDL) to conceal corruption and said petrol prices should be sold for around Rs225 per litre.

He said that the government had failed to reduce petroleum prices despite the end of the recent US-Iran war-related pressure on global oil markets.

“Petrol prices are sky-high in the country,” Rehman said, alleging that the government had generated substantial revenue through the levy on petroleum products.

He accused the government of hiding corruption behind the PDL and demanded transparency over the revenue collected through petroleum levies.

Rehman said that the JI would hold simultaneous sit-ins on August 16 in all four provinces.

According to the announcement, the protest in Punjab will be held outside the Chief Minister’s House, while sit-ins will be staged outside the Governor Houses in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He did not specify the venue for the Balochistan protest in his remarks.

Rehman called on all political parties to join the protests, saying the demonstrations were aimed at highlighting public grievances rather than pursuing narrow political interests.

Defending JI’s strategy of taking protests to major roads and public spaces, he rejected criticism that such demonstrations inconvenience citizens.

“Protests take place on roads, not inside homes,” he said, arguing that people had been deprived of their rights and needed to come out to demand them.

He said that JI had staged what he described as a historic protest on August 7, during which major highways were blocked as part of the demonstration.

Rehman claimed that ambulances were not stopped during the protests despite the road closures.

The JI chief said that the government should reduce petrol prices and provide relief to consumers.

He questioned why petroleum prices had not been reduced after the end of the war, arguing that consumers continued to bear the burden of high fuel prices.

He also criticised the government over its reliance on the PDL, alleging that the levy had become a major source of revenue while providing little relief to ordinary consumers.

His criticism comes as high fuel prices continue to affect transport costs, household budgets and the prices of goods and services.

Allegations of FBR corruption

Rehman also levelled allegations of corruption against officials of the Federal Board of Revenue, claiming that corruption amounting to Rs1.3 trillion was taking place within the tax system.

He alleged that people without sufficient income were also being subjected to taxation, describing the practice as unjust.

The JI chief criticised other political parties for remaining silent on what he called exploitation of taxpayers and said his party would continue raising public issues through protests.

Calls for action against IPPs

The JI chief also criticised the government’s handling of the power sector and alleged widespread incompetence and corruption.

He claimed that the country had incurred greater costs when electricity was not being generated than when it was being produced, and called for action against what he described as the “Independent Power Producers mafia”.

“People will have to come out on the streets against the IPPs mafia,” he said, urging citizens to mobilise for their rights.

He said JI would continue its campaign over electricity prices, petroleum costs and other issues affecting consumers.

Support for Makkah defence agreement

Turning to regional affairs, Rehman welcomed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, describing it as an important development for Muslim-majority countries.

He said efforts should be made to bring Iran and other countries into the framework and called for the development of what he described as a strong network through the Makkah defence agreement.

His remarks came after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the defence agreement in Makkah, with the pact aimed at strengthening defence cooperation among the three countries.

Calls for political engagement on KP security

Speaking about the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rehman said maintaining peace and order was the responsibility of the provincial and federal governments.

He called for creating an environment conducive to peace in the province, arguing that external conspiracies could succeed because of internal instability.

He said authorities needed to address the underlying internal challenges instead of allowing them to create space for external interference.

Responding to a question about political alliances, Rehman said that the JI remained in contact with the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Aain.

However, he said past political alliances had not produced positive results and suggested that political parties should organise protests independently while coordinating on common public issues.

He said political forces could still come together on issues affecting the public, even if they did not form formal electoral or political alliances.

Rehman also commented on the ongoing political differences between the Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, saying the allegations the two parties were levelling against each other were valid.

Asked about Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s remarks regarding the failure of the system, Rehman said an admission of failure should be followed by a comprehensive review.

He said the government should reassess the existing system if it acknowledged that it was not delivering effectively.

On the issue of creating additional administrative units, Rehman said the Constitution already provided a mechanism for doing so.

He warned that taking any step outside the constitutional framework could create doubts and concerns.

Rehman said administrative reforms should therefore be carried out strictly in accordance with constitutional provisions and through proper legal procedures.

The JI chief said his party would continue taking up issues affecting ordinary citizens, particularly high fuel and electricity prices, taxation and alleged corruption.

The August 16 sit-ins are expected to serve as the next major phase of JI’s protest campaign, with the party seeking to mobilise supporters simultaneously across the country.

Rehman urged other political parties and citizens to join the demonstrations, saying collective public pressure was necessary to force the government to address rising living costs and what he described as failures in governance.