JI launches 'train march' from Karachi to Islamabad against petroleum levy

Addressing JI supporters at Karachi Cantonment Railway Station before departing for Islamabad, Hafiz Naeem said workers from different parts of the country had set out towards the federal capital and that no obstacle could stop them. He said the march would pass through Hyderabad, Landhi, Nawabshah, Rohri and Sukkur.

The party’s train march is scheduled to hold a rally in Rohri-Sukkur before departing for Multan on Monday. Hafiz Naeem said the purpose of the march was to seek relief for the public, particularly people who were struggling with rising financial pressures and could not ask others for help.

He said JI was striving to bring politics and the nation together and described its campaign as a “revolutionary struggle”., people had departed for Islamabad through different routes as part of the protest plan.

Hafiz Naeem said the party did not want to hold protests in severe heat but claimed that the government was forcing people to take to the streets. He said ministers were coming forward with statements and meetings but were not providing relief to the public.

The JI emir said the party was travelling to Islamabad not for itself or its own interests but for the country’s 250 million people. He said the struggle was aimed at addressing public concerns. The JI has been holding protests across the country against the petroleum levy, which the party has criticised as an additional burden on consumers.

The party has repeatedly demanded its complete abolition. Hafiz Naeem said the government had increased petroleum prices by citing international market conditions and called for the petroleum levy to be abolished.

He also criticised the government’s policies concerning Independent Power Producers (IPPs), saying government representatives were involved in the sector.جماعت اسلامی نے "سپر لانگ مارچ" کے شیڈول کا اعلان کردیا۔کراچی کینٹ اسٹیشن پر جلسہ عام شروع، اس کے بعد ٹرین مارچ امیر جماعت اسلامی حافظ نعیم الرحمان@Naeem. Rehman.

Engrکی زیر قیادت روانہ ہوگا۔رحمان بابا ایکسپریس دوپہر بارہ بجے کراچی کینٹ اسٹیشن سے روانہ ہوگی۔ ٹرین مارچ کے…pic.twitter.com/0sEN4LfSUx— Jamaat e Islami Pakistan (@JIPOfficial)September 20, 2026The JI had earlier held a 35-day sit-in outside the Sindh Governor House in Karachi before shifting its protest campaign towards Islamabad.

The latest march follows several rounds of talks between the government and JI over the petroleum levy, which have not resulted in an agreement on the party’s demand. Hafiz Naeem warned that if the government failed to accept the party’s demands, the protest would expand and could turn into a movement seeking to bring down the government.