What happened
Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan (JI) emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman announced on Thursday, 6 August 2026, that his party would hold peaceful sit-ins at 510 locations across the country the following day against the petroleum levy, warning that any attempt to stop them would turn the campaign into an anti-government movement.
Addressing a rally organised by the party’s women’s wing on Wahdat Road in Lahore, he said major roads linking districts across Pakistan would be blocked from 4pm, though ambulances would be allowed to pass without interruption.
“If obstacles are created or our peaceful protest against the petroleum levy is blocked, this campaign will turn into an anti-government movement,” Rehman said.
Demands and claims
The JI chief demanded that the price of petrol be reduced to Rs225 per litre. He described the petroleum levy as “extortion” rather than a tax, claiming the government was collecting Rs125 in taxes on every litre of petrol while continuing what he called lavish spending on luxury aircraft and expensive official vehicles. “Enough is enough,” he said.
He also alleged that about Rs8 trillion had been collected through the petroleum levy without investment in upgrading oil refineries or petroleum infrastructure, and said fuel prices had been raised by citing global market conditions during regional conflicts but were not reduced after international crude oil fell to $74 a barrel.
Rehman called on people in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to participate in the sit-ins, and urged young people to bring their motorcycles onto the roads.
Why it matters
The announcement came the same day the government raised petrol by Rs4.45 per litre to Rs333.01, reversing three consecutive cuts under the daily pricing system Pakistan introduced on 17 July 2026 to track volatile international oil markets, while diesel eased by Rs2 to Rs383.86.
The JI’s planned road blockades raise the prospect of widespread disruption and widen the political pressure over fuel costs and inflation. Petrol pump owners and transporters have separately objected to the daily pricing mechanism, and the party said it would keep the demonstrations peaceful.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited sources, which were reviewed on 6 August 2026.
- Dawn — "'Enough is enough': Jamaat-i-Islami announces 510 nationwide sit-ins against the petroleum levy"6 August 2026 · The 510 confirmed locations, the 4pm road blockades, the demand to cut petrol to Rs225 and the warnings over obstruction.
- Pakistan Today — "JI to stage sit-ins at 510 points over petroleum levy"7 August 2026 · Confirmation of the sit-in locations, the treatment of ambulances and the call for participation across the provinces.
