Karachi: The Jamaat-e-Islami's sit-in outside the Governor House against what it terms the 'petroleum levy extortion tax' entered its 18th day on Wednesday, as lawyers' bodies announced a symbolic strike at courts on Sept 3 in solidarity with the party's planned countrywide shutter-down strike.Speaking at a lawyers' convention held at the protest venue, representatives of the Sindh High Court Bar Association and Karachi Bar Association announced that lawyers would observe a symbolic boycott of court proceedings and march to the Governor House in the afternoon.JI Karachi chief Monem Zafar Khan, addressing the convention, thanked the legal fraternity for supporting the party's campaign and the nationwide strike.He said the petroleum levy and what he described as the extravagance of the ruling elite were unacceptable, saying that the government had collected Rs1,566 billion under the head of petroleum levy during the previous year.He said rising fuel prices and taxes had made life increasingly difficult for ordinary citizens and called on the government to provide a realistic household budget based on the minimum wage of Rs43,000.The convention was also addressed by KMC opposition leader Saifuddin Advocate, Sindh High Court Bar Association president Haseeb Jamali, Karachi Bar Association president Aamir Nawaz Waraich, KBA general secretary Arshad and Islamic Lawyers Movement Karachi president Farrukh Usman Advocate, among others.Jamali said the legal fraternity stood with the public struggle against what he termed unjust taxation. He said the Governor, as a representative of the federation, should convey to the federal government that the people of Karachi and Sindh had rejected the levy.He announced that lawyers would hold a rally and reach the Governor House on Sept 3 after observing a symbolic strike at courts.Waraich said the petroleum levy was not a personal issue of Jamaat-i-Islami but a matter affecting the public at large. He said the Karachi Bar Association would fully support the cause and that lawyers would march from the High Court view parking area to the Governor House to express solidarity with the public campaign.KBA General Secretary Arshad said lawyers would also observe a symbolic boycott of court proceedings, criticising the gap between the hardships faced by ordinary citizens and the privileges enjoyed by the ruling class.Several former and serving representatives of bar associations and the Sindh Bar Council, along with a large number of lawyers, attended the convention and expressed support for the planned strike and protest