JI sets Sept 10 deadline for petroleum levy withdrawal

JI sets Sept 10 deadline for petroleum levy withdrawal.

Key points

• Imran Ayub Published September 9, 2026 Updated September 9, 2026 07: 40am.
• Hafiz Naeem remarked the administration was collecting Rs85 per litre as petroleum levy while the total taxes on petrol amounted to around Rs130 per litre.
• Addressing a rally at the JI sit-in outside the Governor House, JI chief Hafiz Nae­e­m­­ur Rehman remarked the protest.
• Imran Ayub is a Karachi-based reporter for Dawn with over 25 years of experience in the field.
• Otherwise, I will offer the final call on September 10 for a march on Islamabad.

Imran Ayub Published September 9, 2026 Updated September 9, 2026 07: 40am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

KARACHI: The political pressure on the administration intensified on Tuesday as Jamaat-I-Islami (JI) set September 10 as a deadline for the withdrawal of the petroleum levy warning that failure to meet the demand could lead to a long march on Islamabad.

Addressing a rally at the JI sit-in outside the Governor House, JI chief Hafiz Nae­e­m­­ur Rehman remarked the protest. It entered its 24th day, would continue alongside negotiations with the governm­ent. He remarked the party would provide a "final call" on September 10 if its demands were not addressed.

Notably, the JI leader remarked the party was at present holding sit-ins in 32 cities and would continue its campaign until its demands were met.

His announcement came a day after the administration climbed petroleum pri­­­ces by Rs13 per litre. Hafiz Naeem stron­gly criticised the growth and questioned the government's policy on fuel costs.

Hafiz Naeem warns of a march on Islamabad if the demand is not met.

"The fluctuation in the global market is one thing, but there is no justification for the extortion tax, " he remarked.

Hafiz Naeem remarked the administration was collecting Rs85 per litre as petroleum levy while the total taxes on petrol amounted to around Rs130 per litre. He argued that the burden was particularly heavy on ordinary citizens, including students and motorcycle riders.

He remarked a student or a motorcycle rider could end up paying thousands of rupees every month through fuel taxes while the same tax was charged on fuel employed by owners of expensive vehicles.

Meanwhile, the JI chief accused the administration of failing to pass on the benefits of lower international oil costs to consumers while increasing rates when global rates rose. He additionally criticised the PML-N, PPP and MQM-P.

In practice, the administration, he stated, had been given three days by its committee to respond to the proposals proposed by JI. Hafiz Naeem cautioned that the party would not accept further delays.

"Let the rulers hear: you will have to end the levy and the tax, " he remarked.

"Otherwise, I will offer the final call on September 10 for a march on Islamabad. The march would be introduced with an aim of uprooting this cruel regime."

Meanwhile, the JI chief remarked the party would keep the door open for dialogue with the administration. He additionally called on opposition parties to join the movement.

In practice, the JI chief additionally unveiled a series of protests by women, including a "major demonstration" at the Governor House in Karachi on Wednesday (today) afternoon followed by rallies in Gujranwala and Islamabad. He additionally raised the problem of Pakistani citizens reportedly held hostage by Somali pirates and noted their families had joined the Karachi sit-in. Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2026.

Imran Ayub is a Karachi-based reporter for Dawn with over 25 years of experience in the field. He reports on political parties, crime, telecom, and local administration systems. He can be discovered on X at @MixPatti.

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