Islamabad, July 28, 2026: Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab Dr. Tariq Saleem has announced that the party will hold nationwide protests on August 7 against rising inflation, heavy taxation on petroleum products, expensive Independent Power Producers (IPPs) agreements, electricity load-shedding and what he termed anti-people economic policies.
Speaking at a meeting to review preparations for the countrywide protest call given by Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Ameer Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, Dr. Tariq Saleem said the demonstrations would be a peaceful movement aimed at protecting the fundamental rights of the people.
He claimed that millions of citizens would participate in protests across the country, accusing the government of burdening the public with new taxes and repeated increases in petroleum prices instead of providing economic relief.
Dr. Tariq Saleem said the petroleum levy had become an additional financial burden on salaried employees and ordinary consumers, arguing that meaningful relief could not be achieved unless the levy was abolished. He urged the government to immediately withdraw the petroleum levy, reduce fuel prices, review what he described as costly IPP contracts, eliminate electricity load-shedding and adopt practical measures to curb inflation.
Expressing confidence in the success of the campaign, he said the August 7 protests would become a historic public demonstration and compel the government to provide tangible relief to the people.
He further said the protest movement had received support from religious scholars, traders, lawyers, students, workers, civil society representatives and people from various segments of society.
According to the announced plan, sit-ins will be staged on major highways across Pakistan on August 7. Dr. Tariq Saleem appealed to the youth to actively participate in the demonstrations and maintain peace and discipline throughout the protests.
He added that emergency services, including ambulances, would be allowed to pass without interruption during the sit-ins.
