- WEB DESK
- August 7, 2026
JI stages nationwide sit-ins, causing traffic disruptions in various cities
-
- WEB DESK
- August 7, 2026
KARACHI/LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Friday launched nationwide protests and sit-ins against the petroleum levy, rising electricity tariffs and inflation, triggering road blockades and traffic disruptions in several major cities across Pakistan.
Party workers and leaders took to the streets in response to JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman’s call for nationwide demonstrations, blocking key roads and highways in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Abbottabad and other cities as part of what the party described as a peaceful protest movement.
Hafiz Naeem announced that protests would be held at 510 locations across the country, including in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the demonstrations were aimed at protesting the government’s recent increase in petroleum prices, the petroleum levy, electricity tariffs and the growing cost of living.
“The people are deeply angry over inflation and the government’s economic policies,” he said, adding that all protests would remain peaceful.
The JI chief instructed workers to ensure that ambulances and patients were allowed to pass through protest sites without obstruction.
He also warned the administration against attempting to stop the demonstrations, saying such actions could worsen the situation.
“We demand an immediate reduction in petrol prices and the abolition of the petroleum levy,” Hafiz Naeem said, adding that workers should remain at protest venues where the party would announce its future course of action.
Roads blocked in Karachi, Islamabad, Abbottabad and other cities
The protest call was followed by demonstrations across the country, with party workers blocking major roads and highways at several locations including in Islamabad and Abbottabad.
Traffic remained severely disrupted at 26 Number Chungi (Motorway Chowk) in Islamabad as JI workers staged a protest and sit-in.
he blockade left hundreds of commuters and motorists travelling to and from Islamabad International Airport stranded at various locations, with several passengers fearing they could miss their flights if the protest continued.
The protest was held at Motorway Chowk (26 Number Chungi), where JI caravans from different parts of the federal capital and adjoining areas began converging via Srinagar Highway.
JI deputy chief Liaqat Baloch was leading the demonstration, which forms part of the party’s nationwide protest campaign against the petroleum levy, rising fuel prices and inflation.
JI workers and police briefly came face-to-face in Islamabad on Friday as law enforcement personnel attempted to restore traffic at the party’s protest sit-in against the petroleum levy, rising fuel prices and inflation.
Police officials tried to clear the road and ease traffic congestion caused by the sit-in at Motorway Chowk (26 Number Chungi), where JI supporters had blocked the carriageway as part of the party’s nationwide protest campaign.
Addressing the protesters, JI deputy chief Liaqat Baloch criticised the police’s handling of the demonstration.
“Why are you forcing peaceful protesters into confrontation?” he said, while addressing police officers at the protest site.
Baloch said the country was facing multiple crises, claiming that Balochistan was in turmoil while Jamaat-e-Islami was playing its role in promoting peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Referring to the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, he said people there were also protesting, but the rulers were unwilling to give dialogue a chance.
He said poverty had become unbearable across the country, with millions struggling to make ends meet.
“Nearly 25 million children are out of school, people are exhausted by inflation and unemployment continues to rise,” he said.
Baloch added that Jamaat-e-Islami had exposed what it described as the “plunder” by independent power producers (IPPs), accusing successive governments of protecting vested interests at the expense of ordinary citizens.
He also claimed that Pakistan’s agriculture and industrial sectors had ground to a halt due to flawed economic policies, urging the government to provide immediate relief by reducing fuel prices, abolishing the petroleum levy and taking concrete steps to curb inflation.
In Abbottabad, JI workers completely blocked the Karakoram Highway, disrupting traffic.
In Karachi, protests began in different parts of the city, leading to the closure of several key arteries.
The party announced that Sharea Faisal would also be blocked as part of the protest campaign.
A reception camp was established at Nursery, where a recently renovated bus stop was converted into a protest camp ahead of a rally towards Sharea Faisal.
According to party leaders, protest caravans were scheduled to depart from different parts of Karachi at 4pm, converge at Mazar-e-Quaid, and then march towards Sharea Faisal.
JI workers also blocked Hub River Road under the leadership of MPA Muhammad Farooq, while another protest continued near Karachi Airport. Protesters also blocked Sharea Faisal near Natha Khan.
Traffic on Sharea Orangi was suspended after JI workers staged a protest at Orangi Town No 5 Chowrangi, causing significant disruption to commuters.
Police personnel were deployed at protest sites across Karachi to maintain law and order, while motorists faced traffic congestion and diversions due to road closures.
Meanwhile, in Lahore, JI workers staged a protest at Qurtaba Chowk on Ferozepur Road, leading to heavy traffic congestion in surrounding areas.
Traffic moved at a slow pace on Ferozepur Road, Main Boulevard Gulberg and MM Alam Road, causing inconvenience to commuters during peak hours.
The Lahore chief traffic officer (CTO) urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel in and around Mazang and Qurtaba Chowk, advising motorists to use alternative routes until traffic returned to normal.
The demonstrations are part of Jamaat-e-Islami’s nationwide protest movement against the petroleum levy, rising fuel prices and inflation, with sit-ins and road blockades continuing in several cities across Pakistan.
Protests planned at 510 locations
According to the JI spokesperson, sit-ins and demonstrations were planned at hundreds of locations across the country.
He said that major protest venues include Qurtaba Chowk in Lahore, Sharea Faisal** in Karachi, 26 Number Chungi in Islamabad, Mian Ghundi Chowk in Quetta, Peshawar Toll Plaza, Bosan Road in Multan, Indus Highway in Karak, CPEC Chowk in Bannu and Chakdara Interchange.
The demonstrations are being led by the party’s provincial and district leadership.
The spokesperson warned that if authorities attempted to stop the peaceful protests, the movement could be expanded to 1,500 highways and roads across the country.
Karachi JI chief vows to continue agitation
Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Monem Zafar Khan said protests were being staged on 510 major roads and highways across Pakistan.
He reiterated that only ambulances would be allowed to pass through protest sites.
Calling on the public to participate in large numbers, he said the protest movement would continue until the government withdrew the petroleum levy and reduced fuel prices.
Multan rally
In Multan, the party announced a protest rally and sit-in from Saidanwala Bypass to Chungi No 6, while a larger anti-inflation rally was scheduled to begin at 5:30pm under the leadership of Syed Zeeshan Akhtar and Sohaib Ammar Siddiqui.
Growing pressure on government
The nationwide agitation comes days after the government increased petroleum prices and maintained the petroleum levy, triggering criticism from opposition parties and consumer groups amid persistent inflation and rising electricity costs.
With demonstrations already under way and road blockades affecting traffic in several cities, Jamaat-e-Islami has signalled that its protest campaign will intensify unless the government rolls back the fuel price increase, abolishes the petroleum levy and provides relief to consumers struggling with the rising cost of living.
