Karachi: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi chief Monem Zafar Khan on Saturday announced that tens of thousands of people from Karachi would participate in the party's march on Islamabad on Sept 20 as part of its campaign against the petroleum levy, what he called 'extortionate taxes', and anti-people agreements with independent power producers (IPPs).Speaking at a press conference on the 28th day of the JI's sit-in outside the Governor House, Zafar rejected the Sindh Local Government Bill 2026, saying that its primary objective was to extend the tenure of the incumbent mayor by turning him into a 'political administrator'.He said the JI would completely oppose the proposed local government amendments and demanded that powers and resources be devolved to the grassroots in accordance with Article 140-A of the Constitution.'The town and union councils must be given development funds,' he said, saying that the Pakistan Peoples Party-led provincial government had retained control over Karachi's institutions and r esources and was unwilling to transfer authority to the town and union-council level.The JI leader also accused the mayor of becoming 'panicked' after his plans to distribute valuable KMC land worth billions of rupees came to light.He condemned what he described as 'fascist and undemocratic tactics' used by the PPP and the mayor against elected council members the previous day, saying his party would not allow the city's valuable KMC land to be distributed or exploited.The sit-in continued to draw enthusiastic participation on its 28th day, with protesters also preparing for the Islamabad march, according to the JI.Monem Zafar said the sit-in had become a centre of hope for the 'oppressed people of Karachi', adding that citizens were not only protesting against the petroleum levy and taxes but were also bringing their grievances to the protest camp.He said that the government had collected Rs1,567 billion from the public under the petroleum levy during the previous year and demanded its abolition.He also called for an end to capacity payments to IPPs, saying the government should stop paying billions of rupees to power producers under the arrangement.He said petrol remained relatively cheap in Iran despite its direct involvement in the conflict and urged Pakistani rulers to adopt austerity measures and reduce their expenditures to provide relief to the public.'There are more than 20 million motorcycles in Pakistan, and most of their users have incomes below the taxable threshold. Imposing a heavy levy on this already burdened segment is unacceptable,' he said.On the occasion, Monem Zafar condemned the assault on Karachi University professor Arif Saki after his vehicle was hit and demanded the arrest and punishment of all those involved.He also expressed concern over the worsening law and order situation in Karachi, saying more than 5,000 street-crime incidents had reportedly been registered with the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) last month.