Lahore: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has announced a nationwide strike in the first week of September against the petroleum levy, warning the government that the party would take its protests to the streets if the levy was not abolished.

Addressing a press conference on the ninth day of the JI sit-in outside the Punjab Chief Minister's House in Lahore, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the party would announce the next phase of its protest movement tonight. He said the campaign was not aimed at securing any personal or political interest but at providing relief to people struggling under the burden of inflation and what he described as the incompetence of the ruling elite.

Acting JI Secretary General Nazir Ahmad Janjua, JI Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari Advocate, JI Central Punjab Emir Javed Kasuri and Information Secretary Shakil Ahmed Turabi were present at the press conference.

The JI chief demanded immediate withdrawal of the petroleum levy and acceptance of the party's demands. He said the government had reduced diesel prices by Rs32 per litre under pressure from the protests, but consumers had not received the corresponding relief.

He said that oil companies were charging consumers imported-oil prices even for locally produced oil. The petroleum levy, he said, had no connection with the actual cost of petroleum products and amounted to 'extortion' from the public. 'Today, even students are paying Rs80 in levies and taxes on every litre,' Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said, adding that the government was taking 33 percent of the petrol price from consumers through various charges. He maintained that the JI would continue its campaign until people received genuine relief.

The JI leader said the government had itself acknowledged that the JI protests had benefited the national exchequer by billions of rupees. He rejected the impression that the protests were a matter of ego, saying the party only wanted relief for ordinary citizens.

He also renewed his demand for the termination of unjust agreements with independent power producers (IPPs), saying the IPP mafia was exploiting consumers in collaboration with the government. 'The IPP mafia is sucking the blood of the people,' he said, insisting that the government must end agreements that were placing an unjust financial burden on consumers.

The JI emir also criticised the government over rising prices of food and other essential commodities. He said vegetables and almost every item of daily use had become more expensive, while questioning the government's handling of wheat. He said that permission to export wheat had contributed to an increase in domestic prices. 'Wheat was first imported and is now being exported at low prices,' he said, adding that the government had yet to provide a satisfactory account of the wheat imported during the caretaker administration.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also criticised lavish spending by those in power. Referring to Rs11 billion aircraft acquired by Maryam Nawaz and a vehicle worth hundreds of millions of rupees obtained by the Senate chairman, he said rulers were behaving as if they were kings while ordinary people were being forced to bear the cost. He said that the reduction in electricity prices was also a result of pressure created by Jamaat-e-Islami's protests, adding public pressure could force the government to change policies.

On the security situation, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said terrorist attacks were continuing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and called for national unity and political consensus to address the challenges. He urged political forces to avoid issues that could deepen divisions in society, saying the country needed greater unity at a difficult time.

Referring to the ongoing sit-in in Kashmir, he said disputes should be resolved through dialogue.

The JI chief said Seerat conferences would also be held at the protest sites on 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal as part of the party's programme during Eid Milad-un-Nabi.

On the international situation, Hafiz Naeem condemned continued Israeli attacks on Palestinians and called for a stronger response from Muslim countries. He said the defence agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Trkiye should be utilised for the protection of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem.

He also criticised Israeli attacks on Syria, saying Israel was continuing its military operations despite agreements concerning the region. Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the Zionist state did not respect international law or agreements and urged Muslim countries to move beyond statements and play an effective role in protecting the region.