LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has announced countrywide protests on Friday (tomorrow) against unjustified increase in petroleum prices and expensive electricity, warning of a nationwide strike if further levies are imposed.

Addressing a press conference at Mansoora on Wednesday, he said the protests would also target the government’s anti-people solar energy policy and exploitation of farmers in Punjab.

He criticised the continuation of interest-based economic policies, saying the country’s economy could not improve under the curse of interest. He said that even a one percent increase in interest rates adds over Rs500 billion burden on the national exchequer, adding the government was backtracking on its pledge to eliminate interest by the end of next year.

The JI chief said the government was collecting Rs107 per litre in petroleum levy from consumers while burdening electricity bills with multiple charges, including GST, Neelum-Jhelum surcharge, fuel adjustment costs, and capacity payments to independent power producers (IPPs).

“The poor are being squeezed dry,” he said, adding that governance by ruling parties existed only in advertisements.

He warned the government against any further increase in petroleum levy, stating that the JI would call a countrywide strike if such a move was made. He said the rulers were using International Monetary Fund (IMF) pressure as a pretext for imposing taxes on the public while increasing their own salaries and privileges.

He further said that the government had collected Rs138bn in petroleum levy during the war in the region and over Rs1.2 trillion since July, with more than half contributed by the middle and lower-income groups.

He said that IPP owners were being paid around Rs2 trillion annually in capacity charges despite not producing electricity, while payments under re-gasified LNG agreements continued daily.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2026