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Jamaat-e-Islami Launches "Super Long March" Against Soaring Fuel Prices in Pakistan
- •Pakistan's right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami party initiated a long march from Karachi to Islamabad to protest rising petroleum prices and demand the abolition of the petroleum levy.
- •The party's main demand is to eliminate the petroleum levy, which adds approximately Rs 100 to every liter of petrol or diesel, aiming to reduce prices to around Rs 200 per liter.
- •The government collected a record Rs 1.567 trillion in petroleum levy in FY 2025-26 and targets Rs 1.676 trillion for the current fiscal year, under commitments with the International Monetary Fund.
- •The march precedes a planned protest by Imran Khan's PTI party on September 27, also aiming for Islamabad, with the government blocking roads to prevent entry.
- •Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb warned that such protests could cause a daily loss of Rs 120 billion to the national exchequer, significantly impacting the services and industrial sectors, and burdening ordinary citizens.
Key Questions Answered
The right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami party launched a long march from Karachi to Islamabad to protest soaring petroleum prices and force the government to abolish the special petroleum levy of about Rs 100 per litre.
Following a recent slight reduction, petrol retails at Rs 389.14 per litre and high-speed diesel at Rs 424.04 per litre, with heavy taxes and duties still applied. The government collected a record Rs 1.567 trillion in petroleum levy during FY 2025-26 and targets Rs 1.676 trillion for the current fiscal year under IMF commitments.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb warned that ongoing protests could trigger a Rs 120 billion daily loss to the national exchequer. This includes estimated daily losses of about Rs 86 billion for the services sector, Rs 25 billion for the industrial sector, and roughly Rs 17 billion in revenue losses.
