'Decisive phase': JI chief announces Islamabad march on Sept 20 against petroleum levy

'Decisive phase': JI chief announces Islamabad march on Sept 20 against petroleum levy.

Key points

• Ahmad Fraz Khan Published September 12, 2026 Updated September 12, 2026 12: 08am.
• The gathering was additionally addressed by JI Central Punjab Emir Javed Qasuri, Gujranwala Emir Mazhar Randhawa and other party leaders.
• The administration levies Rs114 per litre in taxes and duties on petrol and Rs100 per litre on diesel.
• The JI's sit-ins against the petroleum levy in Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and dozens of other locations nationwide entered their 27th day on Friday.
• Rehman additionally criticised the administration over petroleum levy collections, claiming Rs1, 567 billion had been collected from the public under the levy.

Ahmad Fraz Khan Published September 12, 2026 Updated September 12, 2026 12: 08am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

GUJRANWALA: Jamaat-I-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Friday confirmed that the party would march towards Islamabad on September 20 against the petroleum levy, warning the administration that the protest would enter its "decisive phase" on the streets of the federal capital if the levy was not withdrawn before the march.

Addressing a public gathering in Gujranwala, Rehman remarked caravans from nationwide would converge on Islamabad and called on the "Form-47 rulers" to "read the writing on the wall" and provide immediate relief to the individuals.

"If the petroleum levy is not abolished before the long march begins, the decision will be made on the streets of Islamabad, " he remarked, adding that failure to meet public demands would force the JI to launch a movement to bring down the administration.

For context, the administration levies Rs114 per litre in taxes and duties on petrol and Rs100 per litre on diesel.

In practice, the gathering was additionally addressed by JI Central Punjab Emir Javed Qasuri, Gujranwala Emir Mazhar Randhawa and other party leaders. Leaders of the JI Women's Wing additionally attended the event.

Meanwhile, the JI's sit-ins against the petroleum levy in Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and dozens of other locations nationwide entered their 27th day on Friday.

Rehman additionally unveiled that he would address a women's public gathering in Islamabad on Saturday and noted the ongoing sit-ins would be expanded.

Earlier, he chaired a session of party leaders from nationwide at Mansoorah in Lahore, where the party discussed the next phase of its protest movement.

Speaking in Gujranwala, Rehman remarked the JI had emerged as a source of hope for the residents and continued that rulers who had deprived the country of its rights for 79 years had now realised the party's growing strength.

He criticised the dominance of bureaucracy, feudal landlords and influential families in the country and remarked the working class was suffering while children were being forced into labour and deprived of education.

Meanwhile, the JI leader additionally criticised the provincial administration over cases of violence and exploitation against women, alleging that around 6, 500 such cases had been registered in Punjab but convictions had been secured in only a few.

He challenged Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to provide the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) with a complete account of her income and expenditure after her recent remarks regarding travelling to London on a administration aircraft at her own expense.

Notably, the JI chief alleged that the Sharif and Zardari families were among those responsible for the exploitation of poor individuals and went on that more than 40 per cent of Punjab's population was living in poverty.

Rehman additionally criticised the administration over petroleum levy collections, claiming Rs1, 567 billion had been collected from the public under the levy. He questioned why the administration was imposing "jagga tax" on citizens while basic healthcare and education remained inaccessible to millions.

He remarked successive governments since the 1990s had benefited independent power producers (IPPs), questioning why rulers were collecting further taxes from citizens instead of reducing their own expenditures.

Rehman additionally questioned the federal government's continued budget allocations after the 18th Amendment transferred a number of powers and departments to the provinces.

He further pressed an end to interest-based financial practices, citing a ruling by the Federal Shariat Court, and stated even a partial reduction in interest payments could save the national exchequer thousands of billions of rupees.

For context, the party chief remarked the JI had raised these matters during discussions with the administration but continued that the authorities had failed to provide satisfactory answers.

"If the rulers have no answers, the people will now demand answers from them, " he remarked.

On August 16, the JI confirmed sit-ins in all the provincial capitals of Pakistan against the petroleum levy. It had additionally called a nationwide strike on September 3.

Ahmad Fraz Khan is a Lahore-based reporter for Dawn with four decades of experience in the field. His reporting portfolio includes coverage of agriculture, the energy sector, and religio-political parties. He can be discovered on X at @AFKhan.

Taken together, the developments around ' Decisive phase' : JI chief announces Islamabad march on Sept 20 against petroleum point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.