Jamaat-e-Islami’s acting chief, Liaqat Baloch, has warned that a JI long march from Multan towards Islamabad could begin in mid-November if the government does not ease the petroleum levy—a government charge added to petrol and diesel prices—within a 10-day period sought by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Speaking while chairing a consultative meeting at Mansoorah on Thursday, Baloch said the levy was an unjust burden on ordinary people and that rulers should cut their own privileges instead of pressing the public. “Petroleum levy is unacceptable as an extortion-like burden on the people. The rulers should cut their own privileges rather than exploit the nation,” he said.
What JI is demanding
Baloch said the party’s position was clear: it wants the petroleum levy abolished completely. He framed the threatened march as a response if relief does not come within the time the government itself requested.
He said Shehbaz Sharif had asked for another 10 days during a meeting last Tuesday to decide on the matter. According to Baloch, JI granted that window as a final chance for the government to honour an earlier commitment of substantial relief on the levy.
Protests so far and the paused train march
Baloch said JI had already run a sustained campaign against the levy. That included blocking roads at 510 locations across the country, sit-ins in various cities for around six weeks, public rallies in dozens of cities, and a train march from Karachi towards Islamabad.
The train march was temporarily suspended, he said, after the prime minister promised substantial relief and asked that the protest be halted for a few days. The Thursday meeting reviewed preparations for a possible JI long march if that relief does not materialise in the stipulated period. Baloch warned the party would then move with “full force.”
Preparations and rallies before mid-November
Leaders at the Mansoorah meeting included Acting JI Secretary General Nazir Ahmad Janjua, Deputy Secretary Syed Waqas Jafri, Central Punjab Emir Javed Kasuri, special assistant to the JI Emir Umair Idrees, and Information Secretary Shakil Ahmed Turabi.
The meeting decided to hold public rallies in Quetta, Mirpur Khas, Bahawalpur, Mansehra and Sargodha before any march begins in mid-November. Separate committees were formed for transport, medical assistance, security, logistics, sound systems and media. Further committees under JI’s provincial chiefs for central, northern and southern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were set up to support a central committee headed by Naib Emir Mian Muhammad Aslam.
Whether the Multan-to-Islamabad plan goes ahead will depend on whether the government delivers levy relief within the 10-day window Baloch described. Until then, the JI long march remains a conditional threat rather than a fixed, confirmed start date.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Around six weeks: JI held sit-ins in various cities and blocked roads at 510 locations, alongside rallies in dozens of cities.
- Train march: A train protest from Karachi towards Islamabad was launched, then temporarily suspended after the prime minister promised substantial levy relief and asked for a short halt.
- Last Tuesday: Shehbaz Sharif sought another 10 days to decide on the petroleum levy, Baloch said; JI granted that time.
- Thursday: At Mansoorah, Baloch chaired a meeting on march preparations and warned of a Multan-to-Islamabad long march in mid-November if relief fails.
- Before mid-November: Public rallies planned in Quetta, Mirpur Khas, Bahawalpur, Mansehra and Sargodha.
- Mid-November: Possible long march from Multan towards Islamabad if the government does not deliver relief in the stipulated period.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Jamaat-e-Islami ne kaha hai ke agar petroleum levy—petrol diesel par sarkari charge—par raahat na mili to mid-November mein Multan se Islamabad long march ho sakta hai. Wazir-e-Azam ne 10 din maange the faisla karne ke liye, aur JI ne yeh waqt diya hai. Agar raahat na aayi to party full force se march shuru karne ki baat kar rahi hai. Aam logon ke liye yeh pehle se chal rahi mehngai aur fuel ke masle se judi siyasat hai.
