Multan, September 22, 2026: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday announced that the party had postponed the next phase of its long march towards Islamabad at the request of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, but made it clear that its wider protest movement against the petroleum levy and rising prices would continue.
Addressing a press conference in Multan after consultations with the party leadership, Hafiz Naeem said Prime Minister Shehbaz had contacted him by telephone and requested that the march be postponed until his return to Pakistan. The two leaders agreed to meet after the prime minister’s return and continue consultations on the issue.
Hafiz Naeem said the JI had decided to give the government an opportunity for direct talks following the prime minister’s intervention, but the party would not withdraw its demands or abandon its protest campaign.
“We will definitely meet the prime minister,” he said, adding that the JI leadership would present its position and proposals during the meeting.
He said the JI’s sit-in in Multan and protest camps would continue until the meeting with the prime minister, while party workers would remain engaged in the protest movement.
“Whatever happens, we will continue our movement and the sit-ins will continue,” Hafiz Naeem said.
He indicated that the party would seek written assurances from the government before deciding on its future course of action. According to the JI chief, if the government agreed to provide the relief being demanded by the party, the situation could be reviewed; otherwise, the party would resume the long march with the same intensity.
The JI has been demanding a reduction in petroleum prices and the abolition of the petroleum levy, arguing that high fuel prices are contributing to inflation and increasing the financial burden on households.
Hafiz Naeem said the party had presented several proposals to the government during previous rounds of talks aimed at reducing the petroleum levy. He claimed that government officials had cited Pakistan’s commitments under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme as a reason for not accepting the JI’s proposals.
He said the JI had already held several rounds of discussions with federal ministers before launching its latest march and maintained that the party’s nationwide protest campaign had exerted pressure on the government.
According to Hafiz Naeem, the JI had held demonstrations at around 510 locations across the country and continued sit-ins at dozens of locations as part of its campaign against the petroleum levy and rising living costs.
The JI chief also criticised the government’s fuel relief measures, arguing that they were insufficient to address the broader impact of high petroleum prices on the public. He maintained that the party was seeking relief for ordinary citizens rather than pursuing a personal or political agenda.
“This is the problem of 250 million people of Pakistan,” he said, referring to the impact of fuel prices on inflation and household expenses.
PM asks JI to postpone Islamabad sit-in
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had spoken to Hafiz Naeem by telephone and requested that the JI postpone its planned sit-in in Islamabad.
According to the PMO, the prime minister said the government was providing relief on petroleum products to economically vulnerable and middle-income segments of society despite difficult economic circumstances.
The prime minister said the government would continue efforts to provide relief to the public to the extent possible.
The PMO said Hafiz Naeem welcomed the prime minister’s suggestion and the two leaders agreed to meet after Shehbaz Sharif’s return from his foreign visit and continue consultations on the matter.
The JI’s decision came after its protest march, launched from Karachi on Sunday, reached Multan late Monday night. The party had planned to continue the march through Punjab before proceeding towards Islamabad.
Hafiz Naeem said the party did not want confrontation with the government or any law-and-order situation, but maintained that the government should respect its constitutional right to peaceful protest.
He also said the JI would continue to raise issues relating to electricity and fuel prices and other economic pressures facing the public.
The JI had previously held several rounds of talks with the government over the petroleum levy, but the negotiations failed to produce an agreement acceptable to the party. Hafiz Naeem has maintained that the levy should be withdrawn to provide wider relief to consumers.
The latest development temporarily eases the immediate prospect of a JI march on Islamabad, while leaving the party’s broader protest campaign and demands in place pending the planned meeting between Hafiz Naeem and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
