Jamaat-e-Islami leads Islamabad protests against record fuel prices

Jamaat‑e‑Islami activists began a march toward Islamabad on Saturday, demanding the immediate removal of the petroleum levy that has pushed fuel prices to record highs. The protesters, numbering several thousand, plan to converge on the capital’s main avenues and set up a sit‑in outside the parliament building. Their slogan, “No levy, no hardship,” echoes weeks of street rallies across the country.

The levy was introduced last month as part of a broader package of austerity measures tied to Pakistan’s International Monetary Fund programme. The government said the tax would help close a widening fiscal gap and fund subsidies for the poorest. Instead, the added cost has lifted the price of gasoline by roughly 30 percent and diesel by 25 percent, squeezing household budgets already strained by rising food prices and a weakening rupee. Inflation is now above 30 percent, the highest in a decade, and many citizens fear the levy will deepen the economic slowdown.

Security forces have been deployed along the main routes to the capital, and checkpoints have been set up to prevent clashes. The Interior Ministry warned that any attempt to block traffic or damage public property would be met with arrest. Meanwhile, a separate PTI rally is scheduled for later this week, calling for the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, who remains in custody on corruption charges. Both movements have drawn large crowds, raising concerns that Islamabad could face simultaneous protests on different fronts. Government spokesperson Farooq Ahmed said the authorities are “monitoring the situation closely” and urged demonstrators to voice their grievances peacefully.

Analysts say the fuel‑price protest could force the cabinet to reconsider the levy before the upcoming provincial elections in October. If the government offers a partial rollback or a targeted subsidy, it may calm the unrest but risk alienating IMF negotiators. A hardline response, however, could spark wider unrest and further destabilise an economy already on shaky ground. The next few days will reveal whether dialogue or force will shape the outcome.