JI chief urges public to join Islamabad protest over fuel price hike

ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman urged the public to join the party’s protest in Islamabad on Friday (today) against rising petroleum prices and inflation, warning of further agitation if the government does not reverse recent increases.

In a post on social media platform X, Rehman said the government had failed to meet tax targets and increased the petroleum levy to as high as Rs117 per litre to fill the fiscal gap.

“The government is taking revenge on the people for its failed economic policies and incompetence,” he said.

Rehman said that petrol and diesel prices had already reached up to 415 rupees per litre, yet the prime minister was not willing to “remove the burden from his chest”.

کل 15 مئی اسلام آباد میں پٹرولیم قیمتوں میں اضافے اور بڑھتی ہوئی مہنگائی کے خلاف زبردست احتجاج کریں گے۔ عوام بڑی تعداد میں شرکت کریں۔ ٹیکس اہداف حاصل کرنے میں ناکام حکومت نے خزانہ بھرنے کے لیے پٹرول پرلیوی 117 روپے فی لیٹر تک پہنچادی ہے۔ حکومت ناکام معاشی پالیسیوں اور نا اہلی کا… pic.twitter.com/NuafTguFZj

— Naeem ur Rehman (@NaeemRehmanEngr) May 14, 2026

He said that ministers were now signalling further price increases, warning that the public was being pushed deeper into hardship.

“The people must come out onto the streets against continuous and unjustified increases in fuel prices,” he said.

The JI chief said the government should abolish the petroleum levy and provide relief to the public.

He said the impact of rising fuel prices was visible across all sectors of the economy, adding that once goods become expensive, they do not become cheaper again.

Rehman said the protest would represent the voices of people across Pakistan.

He also warned that if the government did not change its approach, the party would announce a strike and wheel-jam shutdown in the next phase of its campaign.