JI hits roads against petrol levy

LAHORE/KARACHI:

JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Friday announced the next phase of the party's nationwide protest campaign, calling for sit-ins outside the Punjab Chief Minister's House in Lahore and Governor Houses in Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta on Sunday, August 9, against higher petroleum prices, petroleum levy and expensive electricity.

The JI had announced nationwide protests against the petroleum levy, rising fuel prices and inflation, with demonstrations planned on 510 major roads and highways in 170 districts.

The party protested at over 500 locations across the country, including major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Abbottabad, where protesters blocked main arteries as they demonstrated against the increase in the petroleum levy, inflation and the growing economic burden on the public.

Addressing participants of a protest sit-in at Qurtaba Chowk in Lahore, Hafiz Naeem directed party workers to launch a door-to-door mobilisation campaign on Saturday, followed by nationwide demonstrations on Sunday.

He said around 500 peaceful protests and sit-ins were held across the country on Friday. According to him, large numbers of people took to the streets from Karachi to Lahore and other cities, while protests were organised at 21 locations in Balochistan despite an initial plan for 18. He also claimed that party workers in Tharparkar had reached protest sites ahead of the scheduled time.

Describing Friday's demonstrations as the beginning of the movement, Hafiz Naeem said they were only a "trailer" and a rehearsal, adding that the main phase of the campaign was yet to begin. He warned that the sit-ins could be prolonged if necessary, saying the party would continue its struggle for what it described as the public's rights.

The JI chief said the country's governance system had failed to provide relief to the people and instead benefited influential groups. He alleged that the existing political structure had its roots in a colonial-era model under which feudal elites were empowered.