JI, govt agree on draft outlines for petroleum levy relief

Speaking at a press conference after the 10th round of talks with the government committee, JI deputy chief Liaquat Baloch said the two sides had agreed on the need to expand the existing relief measures, while the government would consult the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on continuing the relief.اسلام آباد: نائب امیر جماعتِ اسلامی لیاقت بلوچ کی پیٹرولیم لیوی کے معاملے پر حکومتی کمیٹی سے مذاکرات کے بعد اہم پریس کانفرنس۔لیاقت بلوچ نے کہا کہ آج حکومتی کمیٹی کے ساتھ مذاکرات کا دسواں دور تھا۔ ہمارے سامنے عوام کو ریلیف دلانا اہم ترین معاملہ تھا۔ حکومت نے تسلیم کیا ہے کہ…pic.twitter.com/c9VCU9rXLS— Jamaat e Islami Pakistan (@JIPOfficial)November 10, 2026He said providing relief to the public remained the foremost concern during the negotiations and that the government had acknowledged difficulties in the supply of petroleum products due to the global situation.

Baloch said JI had proposed including vehicles with engines of up to 1,000cc and the agricultural sector in the relief scheme. He said the government had also acknowledged that JI's demand for abolishing the petroleum levy was legitimate.

“Our demand is that the levy should be abolished immediately and the public should be given clear relief,” he said, criticising the government for being unwilling to cut its luxuries and putting the burden of the Federal Board of Revenue's (FBR) failures on consumers.

Baloch said the two sides had agreed on the broad outlines of a draft agreement during Tuesday's meeting, with the government expected to share further details in the coming days.

He said that the government had informed the JI delegation that it had started working on a plan to address its revenue requirements and would share a framework for gradually reducing the levy after consultations with the IMF.Read:JI to march on Islamabad in mid-November if govt fails to end petroleum levy: Hafiz Naeem.

He said another meeting was expected on Wednesday or Thursday, while the final decision on the proposed agreement would be taken during a possible meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman. Following that meeting, the party would decide whether to proceed with its planned long march, he added.

The JI leader claimed that the party's protest had helped halt increases in petroleum prices and secured relief of Rs146 per litre on diesel and Rs120 per litre on petrol. “The process has now reached the stage of final decisions,” he said.

He said JI remained committed to peaceful political engagement but would withdraw from the negotiations if it found that the government was unwilling to move forward.

“Our only goal is that the people should get relief, that there should be a reduction in production costs, that the economy should run and that people should get employment,” he said, adding that the party's protests and political pressure were aimed at securing relief for the public.

The government also confirmed the talks, with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar holding a follow-up meeting with a JI delegation led by Baloch to continue consultations on petroleum prices and relief for consumers, the DPM's Office.

Held a follow-up meeting with a delegation of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), led by Mr. Liaquat Baloch, today to continue consultations on petroleum prices and public relief.https://t.co/oTRk. VyH1gm— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaq. Dar50)November 10, 2026The statement said both sides held constructive discussions on measures to provide relief to consumers, particularly low-income households.

There was broad agreement on the need to address public concerns through continued consultation and cooperation, it added. Dar welcomed the positive spirit of the engagement and reiterated that the government remained focused on supporting ordinary households amid prevailing economic challenges.

The meeting was attended by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Inter-Provincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, the special secretary of the Petroleum Division, an additional secretary of the Finance Division and JI delegation members Syed Firasat Shah, Nasrullah Randhawa and Inayatullah Khan.

BackgroundJI’s campaign against the petroleum levy intensified in August, when the party organised demonstrations and sit-ins across the country against rising fuel prices, inflation and what it described as an additional tax burden on consumers. On August 16, JI workers stagedsit-ins outside governors’houses in the provincial capitals, demanding the withdrawal of the levy and a reduction in petrol prices.

The party subsequently expanded its protests to other cities, including Karachi, where it establishedadditional protest campsacross Sindh. JI maintained that the government should abolish the levy rather than offer limited reductions in fuel prices. On September 3, the government and JI agreed to establish technical committees to examine proposals for reducing the petroleum levy and fuel prices.

During thefirst round of negotiationson September 7, the party submitted six proposals to the government, while insisting that its protests would continue until meaningful relief was provided. However, the negotiations failed to resolve the dispute.

On September 12, JI chief announced along march towards Islamabadfor September 20, warning that the party would intensify its campaign if the government did not abolish the levy. Read More:JI launches third phase of protest campaign against petroleum levy.

The march began on September 20, with participants travelling from Karachi by train. The caravan moved through Sukkur towards Multan, where Naeem addressed supporters. The march was subsequently suspended after PM Shehbaz telephoned the JI chief and requested that the party postpone its protest to allow further negotiations.

JI agreed to give the government an opportunity for talks but maintained that it had not abandoned its demand. The party’s position was that negotiations and protests could continue simultaneously, with any agreement required to address the complete abolition of the levy.

The JI chief then gave the government 10 days to abolish the petroleum levy and provide meaningful relief to the inflation-hit public, warning that his party wouldresume its long marchtowards Islamabad in mid-November if its demands were not met.