CHARSADDA/LOWER DIR: Jamaat-i-Islami Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emir Abdul Wasey on Monday announced that the party would march on Islamabad on Sept 23 (Wednesday) as part of its campaign against the petroleum levy, saying the protest movement would continue until the government withdrew the tax.

Speaking to participants of a sit-in at Farooq Azam Chowk here, he said JI had decided not to hold further negotiations with the government after five rounds of talks did not produce the desired results.

He said JI central emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman had launched a long march from Karachi on Sunday and caravans comprising thousands of vehicles and party workers from different parts of the country would head towards Islamabad.

“On Sept 23, the JI caravans will move towards Islamabad,” he said, adding that Jamaat workers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country would join the march.

Mr Wasey said the party had taken to the streets solely to raise issues concerning the public, and its campaign was not aimed at electioneering or serving any other political objective.

He said the petroleum levy had increased the financial burden on citizens already facing inflation and other economic difficulties. He demanded that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announce the withdrawal of the levy and provide relief to consumers.

The JI leader said the party had engaged in five rounds of negotiations with the government but had remained firm on its demands. “We have decided that there will be no more negotiations with the government,” he said, adding that the protest movement would continue until the prime minister announced the withdrawal of the petroleum levy.

Mr Wasey also called for a reduction in government expenditure, saying the authorities should review what he described as their “extravagant” spending instead of imposing additional taxes on citizens.

Meanwhile, JI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa North chief Inayatullah Khan on Monday said that thousands of vehicles from across Malakand division would leave from the Chakdara toll plaza on Sept 23 to join the party’s planned “Super Long March” in Islamabad against inflation and the petroleum levy.

Speaking at a protest demonstration in Munda, Lower Dir, Mr Khan said the government’s policies had made life difficult for ordinary citizens and urged people to participate in the party’s protest movement.

He said JI workers would stage a peaceful protest and would not attack state institutions. However, he added that if directed by party chief Naeemur Rehman, workers would enter Islamabad’s Red Zone and continue their sit-in until the government withdrew the petroleum levy.

Criticising the government’s economic policies, the JI leader said rising fuel and electricity prices had increased the cost of living and placed an additional burden on the public. He termed the petroleum levy on fuel products unjust and argued that higher fuel prices had a direct impact on the prices of essential commodities.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2026