Road chaos as JI rally blocks major routes

KARACHI:

A citywide protest call by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) against the petroleum levy and rising fuel prices brought major arteries of the metropolis to a standstill on Friday, with demonstrators blocking Shara-e-Faisal and staging sit-ins across key roads.

Responding to an appeal by JI Ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, rallies converged from different parts of the city at Mazar-e-Quaid before proceeding towards Shahrah-e-Quaideen and eventually Shara- e-Faisal, where protesters occupied both tracks of the road, disrupting traffic for hours.

Simultaneous demonstrations were reported on major roads including the National Highway, Superhighway, Hub River Road, Shahrah-e-Orangi, Shahrah-e-Korangi, and Shahrah-e-Pakistan, as participants from various districts staged sit-ins and chanted slogans against the government's economic policies.

Protesters, many of whom arrived on motorcycles, cars, vans, and trucks, carried party flags and placards bearing messages such as "End petroleum levy tax," "Reduce fuel prices," "Control IPP mafia," and "Stop burdening the poor."

Addressing the main sit-in on Sharae Faisal, JI Karachi Ameer Monem Zafar Khan said the scale of protests - claiming demonstrations on over 500 major roads countrywide - reflected public rejection of what he termed "economic oppression" by the ruling elite.

"The people of Karachi and across Pakistan have shown they will not accept unjust policies," he said.

"This is a clear message to the rulers that their extravagant spending and anti-people decisions must end."

He added that citizens had symbolically switched off their vehicles to register protest, calling it evidence of widespread frustration among the public. "The writing is on the wall for those in power," he said.

Khan demanded the immediate abolition of the petroleum levy, reduction in fuel prices, and an end to what he described as excessive payments to independent power producers (IPPs). He also called for tangible relief measures for low-income segments of society.

Reaffirming his party's stance, he said Jamaat-e-Islami would continue its "peaceful struggle" against inflation, unemployment, and policies that disproportionately affect the poor.