Islamabad, August 6, 2026: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) North Punjab on Wednesday finalised preparations for its nationwide protest and road blockade campaign scheduled for August 7 against the petroleum levy, inflation and what it described as anti-public economic policies.
The preparations were reviewed during a meeting of district Ameers held in Rawalpindi under the chairmanship of Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami North Punjab Dr. Tariq Saleem. Acting Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Nazir Ahmed Janjua also attended the session, along with district Ameers from across North Punjab.
Addressing the meeting, Nazir Ahmed Janjua said nationwide demonstrations and road blockades would be organised on August 7 to protest against the petroleum levy, rising inflation, excessive taxation and the government’s economic policies.
He said lawyers, teachers, doctors, students, workers, traders and people from all walks of life would participate in the protests across the country. He added that emergency services would not be disrupted, with ambulances being allowed to pass through protest sites.
Janjua claimed that more than 40 per cent of Pakistan’s population is living below the poverty line, while nearly 35 million children remain out of school. He alleged that the government had turned petroleum products into a major source of revenue by imposing heavy levies and increasing the financial burden on the public through higher fuel, electricity and gas prices.
He said youth, women, senior citizens and workers from across the country would participate in the protest campaign on the call of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer afiz Naeem-ur-Rehman.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Tariq Saleem said August 7 would mark a historic day of peaceful political resistance, with demonstrations planned on major highways from Karachi to Khyber against what he termed unjust economic policies.
He described the protest as the beginning of a broader public movement aimed at securing economic relief and protecting the rights of citizens.
Dr. Tariq Saleem said the increase in petrol prices to Rs335 per litre had placed an unbearable financial burden on ordinary citizens, particularly students, salaried employees and low-income motorcycle users.
He claimed that nearly 30 million Pakistanis rely on motorcycles for daily transportation and collectively pay billions of rupees annually in taxes and petroleum levies. He further alleged that the government had collected Rs1.9 trillion through the petroleum levy during the past year and a total of Rs8.5 trillion through various taxes and levies imposed on the public.
