Jamaat-e-Islami says camps will protest the petroleum levy and demand an end to prolonged load-shedding in Karachi.
WEB DESK: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has announced plans to establish more than 25 protest camps across Karachi from Saturday, as part of its ongoing campaign against the petroleum levy and excessive taxation.
The party also plans to use the protests to highlight prolonged electricity load-shedding in the city, according to JI Karachi Emir Munem Zafar.
JI announces expansion of Karachi protests
Speaking to journalists in Karachi on Friday, Munem Zafar said the party’s protests against the petroleum levy and what it described as excessive taxation were continuing across the country.
He reiterated JI’s demand for the withdrawal of the petroleum levy and said the party would expand its protest activity in Karachi by establishing more than 25 camps from Saturday.
Zafar also urged citizens to participate in the demonstrations.
The announcement comes after weeks of JI protests, sit-ins and negotiations with the federal government over fuel prices and the petroleum levy.
Load-shedding also becomes part of campaign
The JI Karachi chief also criticised K-Electric over power outages in the city.
Zafar claimed that some parts of Karachi were experiencing up to 18 hours of load-shedding and described the situation as a “collective punishment” for consumers because of electricity bill defaults by some customers. These figures and characterisations were presented by the JI leader and have not been independently established in the report.
He argued that K-Electric should take action against consumers who do not pay their bills rather than subjecting other customers to prolonged outages.
Zafar called on the government to intervene to address the electricity situation in Karachi.
Islamabad march temporarily paused
The latest Karachi protest plans come as JI’s broader campaign has entered another phase.
JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman previously announced a march towards Islamabad over the petroleum levy. The party later paused the next phase of the march for several days following a request from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Dawn reported on September 24 that Hafiz Naeem said the long march remained an option and that the party’s next course of action would depend partly on his meeting with the prime minister after his return to Pakistan.
The JI leadership has continued to say that its broader protest movement has not been abandoned.
Petroleum levy remains central demand
The petroleum levy has remained the main issue behind JI’s nationwide campaign.
The party has repeatedly demanded that the government abolish the levy and provide relief to consumers facing high fuel costs. Earlier this month, the federal government and JI held several rounds of talks on measures related to the levy and fuel-price relief.
JI subsequently continued its protests, while the government has pursued its own fuel-relief measures.
The Sindh Assembly also unanimously adopted a resolution earlier in September calling on the federal government to abolish the petroleum levy, although the provincial government said the matter falls under the federal government’s authority.
The more than 25 camps are scheduled to begin in Karachi on Saturday, according to JI Karachi.
The party’s next decision on its Islamabad march is expected to depend on developments in its discussions with the federal government.
