LAHORE, 23 August, 2026(Ghufran): Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has announced a nationwide shutter-down strike after 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal against the petroleum levy, demanding that the government reduce petroleum prices. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Hafiz Naeem said the Jamaat-e-Islami’s struggle was progressing successfully and stressed that the government would have to reduce the prices of petroleum products. He said the country could not make progress in the presence of flour and sugar mafias and urged people to come forward and join their struggle. He also expressed concern over the high cost of fertilizers for farmers, while criticizing government officials for using expensive vehicles at taxpayers’ expense. The JI chief announced that a nationwide strike would be observed after 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal, making it clear that negotiations would no longer be based merely on assurances to end the sit-in. He said the sit-in would only be called off once the government practically accepted the Jamaat-e-Islami’s demands. Hafiz Naeem further described the petroleum levy as a form of “extortion tax” and said it should not be imposed under any circumstances. He demanded that the government immediately reduce petrol prices. He warned that if the demands were not accepted, the Jamaat-e-Islami would also march towards Islamabad, saying no one could stop them and that JI workers would not hesitate to make sacrifices for their cause. The Jamaat-e-Islami has been staging sit-ins outside governors’ houses across the country against the petroleum levy, with the protests entering their eighth day.