'To Hell With You And IMF': Jamaat-e-Islami Cadre Swarm Pakistan's Streets Over Steep Petrol Levy
News world 'To Hell With You And IMF': Jamaat-e-Islami Cadre Swarm Pakistan's Streets Over Steep Petrol Levy 'To Hell With You And IMF': Jamaat-e-Islami Cadre
News world 'To Hell With You And IMF': Jamaat-e-Islami Cadre Swarm Pakistan's Streets Over Steep Petrol Levy 'To Hell With You And IMF': Jamaat-e-Islami Cadre Swarm Pakistan's Streets Over Steep Petrol Levy Published By, Last Updated: August 08, 2026, 14:05 IST Nationwide protests erupt across Pakistan over fuel prices and levy; Jamaat-e-Islami warns of bigger agitation, plans sit-ins outside key govt buildings on August 9. Rapid Read Jamaat-e-Islami launched massive rallies and sit-ins across Pakistan against the steep levies imposed on the people buying petrol. (Image credit: AFP) Thousands of people took to the streets across Pakistan on Friday as protests against rising fuel prices, a steep petroleum levy and soaring inflation disrupted daily life in several major cities, according to a report by Express Tribune.
Demonstrations, rallies and sit-ins were held at over 500 locations, blocking key roads and highways in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Abbottabad. Protesters raised slogans against the government’s tax policies, with placards demanding a rollback of the petroleum levy and relief from rising living costs. The protests were called by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), with party chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman warning that the agitation would intensify in the coming days, as per Pakistan-based Express Tribune. Addressing a sit-in in Lahore, he described Friday’s demonstrations as merely a “trailer" and said the main phase of the movement was yet to begin. Rehman announced that the next round of protests would include sit-ins outside the Punjab Chief Minister’s House in Lahore and Governor Houses in Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta on Sunday, August 9.
He also directed party workers to carry out a door-to-door mobilisation campaign ahead of the planned demonstrations. The JI chief sharply criticised the government’s economic policies, alleging that the petroleum levy and rising electricity costs were placing an unbearable burden on ordinary citizens. He accused successive governments of failing to provide relief and instead protecting the interests of powerful groups. “You claim that the IMF won’t allow this (easing up fuel prices). So to hell with you and your IMF. Stop oppressing the poor, stop oppressing students. We don’t accept this levy," Rahman was quoted saying by India Today. Rehman also dismissed the government’s argument that constraints imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) prevented it from reducing the levy. He warned that the protests could be prolonged if the demands were not met, stressing that the party would continue its campaign for what it described as the rights of the people.
The BriefWire