JI's Islamabad march in mid-November unless petrol levy relief is announced, Hafiz Naeem says after PM meeting

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) will march on Islamabad in mid-November against the petroleum levy unless the government announces major relief before then, JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said on Tuesday, 27 October, at a press conference in Islamabad held soon after he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

"We will not postpone our Islamabad march any longer," he said, Dawn reported.

What happened in the meeting

The talks were about JI's demand that the petroleum levy be abolished. According to Rehman, both sides agree that relief should be widened but differ on how: JI wants the levy scrapped, while the government wants to get there in phases. A reported government offer to cut the levy by Rs 20 to 30 a litre was rejected. "We cannot simply accept peanuts," he said.

Rehman did not call the talks a failure. JI has named a new committee of Liaquat Baloch, Syed Farasat Shah and Nasrullah Randhawa to keep talking to the government.

JI's demands

• Abolish the petroleum levy on petrol and diesel.
• Cut refinery margins, which JI says rose with international oil prices.
• Stop passing the cost of the government's own shortfalls on to consumers.

How we got here

• April 2026: the government raised the levy on petrol from Rs 105 to Rs 160 a litre, then cut it back after criticism, Dawn reported.
• 16 August: JI announced sit-ins in every provincial capital and a nationwide strike on 3 September.
• 20 September: JI set off on a march towards Islamabad.
• 22 September: the march was called off at Multan after the PM asked for time and promised a meeting.
• 26 October: Rehman warned of a mid-November march if the levy stayed.
• 27 October: the meeting with the PM, and today's announcement.

What it means for you

The levy is a flat charge built into every litre you buy, so any cut agreed with JI would show up directly at the pump. A Rs 20 cut, for example, would take Rs 800 off a 40-litre tank. Track the price and its history on our petrol price page, and work out your monthly fuel bill with the fuel cost calculator.

No date has been fixed for the march yet. If it goes ahead, expect road closures around Islamabad's entry points on the day.