Reporting snapshot · 22 September 2026. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday, 22 September, from New York, offering meaningful talks on the petroleum levy and asking the party to hold off its long march until he returns to the country, according to a JI spokesperson. The account of the call rests on the party's statement as reported by independent outlets; the prime minister's office had not issued its own public statement, and JI said it would give a formal response after consulting its Shura.
What happened
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, just as the party’s train march against the petroleum levy pulled into Multan, appealing to the party to hold off its protest until he returns to the country, according to a JI spokesperson. The prime minister said he was ready to hold meaningful talks with the JI on the petroleum levy after returning to Pakistan, the spokesperson told Geo News.
Hafiz Naeem told the prime minister that the party did not seek any law-and-order problem or confrontation with the government, but that JI had taken to the streets to raise public concerns and the government would have to respect its right to protest. He said the party would consult its Shura before responding to the request to postpone the march, and added that even if the march were postponed at the government’s request, the party would not give up its right to protest.
Dawn reported that the JI spokesman said the prime minister requested a delay of a month or at least until his return from the United States. The JI chief said that was possible only after consultation with party leaders, and the prime minister assured him of a “meaningful meeting on the petroleum levy issue” and an effort to provide maximum relief, with a formal response to be given on Tuesday. The two accounts differ on the precise length of the requested pause; both agree on the offer of talks and the request that the march wait until the prime minister returns.
The march reaches Multan
The JI’s train march against the petroleum levy reached Multan late on Monday night, with Hafiz Naeem addressing supporters at the railway station. The emir noted that the train had been delayed by around four hours, but said the delay had not stopped supporters from turning out to welcome the march. “Those who conspired should see how many people came out to welcome us in Multan,” he said.
The JI caravan began its journey from Karachi Cantonment station on Sunday, 20 September, after five rounds of negotiations with the government ended without agreement. According to the party’s announced programme, the march travelled through Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Rohri and Sukkur before the “second phase” began with the journey towards Multan. Hafiz Naeem questioned the four-hour delay in the Shalimar Express that was to carry the caravan from Sukkur to Multan, asking whether the disruption was linked to the march. The Express Tribune reported that an official at the Karachi chief controller’s office attributed the late arrival to an engine fault that developed at Tando Adam in Sanghar district, and that Pakistan Railways said delays in some up trains were expected because of delays in several down trains.
From Multan, the JI caravan is scheduled to move through southern and central Punjab towards Lahore before the final phase of the march to Islamabad. The party has said caravans from across the country, including from Balochistan and Bab-i-Khyber, are converging on the capital, which it expects to reach on 23 and 24 September. Addressing supporters, Hafiz Naeem reiterated the demand that the government withdraw what it describes as an unfair tax on petroleum products and provide relief to the public. “If you provide relief to the people, we have no issue of ego,” he said.
The levy dispute
The petroleum levy has been the flashpoint of JI’s campaign for more than a month. The party announced sit-ins in provincial capitals from 16 August, called a nationwide strike on 3 September, and has since held demonstrations at dozens of locations. Five rounds of negotiations with the government, which began on 7 September, ended without a breakthrough on the party’s demand for the levy’s outright abolition rather than targeted relief.
The government has responded with a fuel relief scheme announced on 13 September offering a discounted rate on petrol for motorcycles, three-wheelers and small cars, and with periodic adjustments to pump prices. JI has rejected the relief package as a substitute for removing the levy. Officials have pointed to fiscal constraints and elevated international oil prices in explaining the levy’s continued collection.
The renewed outreach comes at a moment of heightened pressure on the government. The JI mobilisation is running alongside Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long march towards Islamabad on 27 September demanding the release of Imran Khan, and the Islamabad High Court has barred parties from occupying the capital’s roads. The prime minister is currently in New York attending the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, where he arrived on Monday.
Why it matters
The prime minister’s direct call is the highest-level government outreach since the JI march began, an attempt to resolve the standoff through direct contact rather than the ministerial committees that held the earlier rounds. The request that the march wait until the prime minister returns — and the offer of “meaningful talks” on the levy — suggests an effort to buy time before the caravan reaches the capital, where the government has sealed the Red Zone with shipping containers and said it will enforce the court order barring the occupation of public roads.
Hafiz Naeem has repeatedly warned that if the levy is not withdrawn, the protest could turn into a movement to oust the government. JI has said it will not block roads and wants to avoid confrontation, but the coming days, as the march moves through Punjab towards Islamabad, will test whether the offer of talks is enough to pause the mobilisation.
What is still uncertain
The immediate question is how JI responds after its Shura consultation. The party has said it would give a formal response on Tuesday, and the exact scope of any pause — and whether it would apply only to the train march or to the wider convergence of caravans — is not yet known. It is also unclear what form the talks would take and whether the government is prepared to offer anything more than the relief package and price adjustments already announced. The prime minister’s office had not publicly confirmed the call’s contents when this article was prepared, so the account rests on the JI spokesperson’s version as reported by independent outlets.
The history of the negotiations, which produced five rounds without a breakthrough, cautions against expecting a quick resolution. JI has said it will not call off the campaign permanently unless the levy is abolished, and has warned against “delaying tactics in the name of negotiations.” Whether the march pauses, continues, or escalates as it approaches the capital will depend on the Shura’s decision and the substance of any fresh talks.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a synthesis of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 22 September 2026. The account of the prime minister's call to the JI emir rests on a JI spokesperson's statement as reported by Geo News and Dawn; the prime minister's office had not issued its own statement when this article was prepared, and the two reports differ on the precise length of the requested delay. Exact crowd figures for the march have not been independently verified.
- Geo News — PM offers talks on petroleum levy as JI march arrives in Multan22 September 2026 · Primary account of the prime minister's call, the JI spokesperson's statement, the request to postpone the march, the Shura consultation, and the march's arrival in Multan.
- Dawn — Naeem questions train delay as Jamaat caravan departs Sukkur22 September 2026 · Independent confirmation of the prime minister's call, the request to delay the march for a month or until his return, the relief assurance, and the promised formal response on Tuesday.
- The Express Tribune — JI raises alarm over delay in protest train22 September 2026 · Independent report of the four-hour train delay, the second phase of the march towards Multan, the railway's explanation, and JI's renewed demand for the levy's withdrawal.
- The News International — JI kicks off long march towards Islamabad against petroleum levy21 September 2026 · Independent report of the march's launch from Karachi on 20 September, the route via Sukkur and Multan, and the scheduled final phase to Islamabad.
