JI Islamabad March to Go Ahead in Mid-November as Talks With PM Shehbaz End Without Levy Deal

Photo: Geo News

Jamaat-e-Islami will go ahead with its Islamabad march in mid-November, party chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said on Tuesday after meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, even though the government asked for seven to ten more days to work out relief on petroleum prices. The march will not be put off again, he said, and the party will keep getting ready for it while talks go on.

Main News Report

Hafiz Naeem told reporters in Islamabad that the party would not postpone the Islamabad march any longer. Geo News reported his words: "We will no longer postpone the Islamabad march. We will continue talking to the government, but the march will take place in mid-November."

The meeting took place at the Prime Minister's House on Tuesday, 27 October 2026. The Jamaat-e-Islami team included Liaquat Baloch, Syed Farasat Shah and Nasrullah Randhawa. The government side included Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Senator Rana Sanaullah and Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani, The News reported.

Both sides agreed that people need more relief on fuel. Where they still differ is how that relief should come. Hafiz Naeem said the party wants the petroleum levy scrapped at once. The government says relief will come in phases, with the levy phased out over time, Business Recorder reported.

The prime minister asked for seven to ten days so technical committees can draw up proposals. A six-member committee has been formed to look at the proposals and finalise recommendations, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said at a joint press conference with Rana Sanaullah.

Background Context

The row is about the levy charged on petrol and diesel, on top of the pump price. Petrol now costs Rs379.25 a litre and high-speed diesel Rs395.82, after the rates that took effect on 27 October. Diesel had already gone up by Rs1.91 a litre in the previous price round for 24 to 26 October, when petrol was held at Rs377.71.

Jamaat-e-Islami had earlier put off its long march towards Islamabad at the prime minister's request. The party says that pause is now over. It also says its street protests pushed the government to offer relief in the first place, and it points to the relief package for small vehicles announced in September.

Money is tight for the government. It says it must stay inside its IMF programme, and that scrapping the levy in one go could put that programme at risk. That is why ministers keep talking about targeted relief, help aimed at poorer households, rather than a flat cut for everyone.

Reactions and Statements

Hafiz Naeem said the levy falls hardest on the middle class and the poor. He said the government collects Rs150 billion a month through the levy, while ordinary people struggle to pay for food and school fees for their children. He called the levy a burden that must go, and he said the party will not drop that demand.

"We say the levy should be abolished; they say relief will be provided in phases," he said. He also warned that the party could take its protest further if nothing concrete comes in time. "We may have to sit on the streets and talk," he said.

On the government side, Rana Sanaullah said the state already gives a subsidy of Rs100 a litre to 12.7 million people, and that the levy being criticised stands at Rs80. He said the number of people getting relief is expected to reach 20 million in the coming days, and that the government wants to widen the relief further.

Ahsan Iqbal said oil prices are rising around the world and the government knows how hard that hits households. He said the government does not want to take any irresponsible step, but it is aware of the pressure on ordinary citizens.

Why This News Matters

This is not just a party row. It decides what you pay at the pump in the next few weeks. If the committees agree on wider targeted relief, millions more households could get help with fuel costs. If they fail, the mid-November march will put the issue back on the streets of Islamabad, with road closures and disruption that usually come with a big protest in the capital.

Here is where each side stands, in plain terms:

• Jamaat-e-Islami wants: the petroleum levy abolished at once, and a relief package announced before the march.
• The government offers: relief in phases, a levy phased out over time, and targeted help that grows from 12.7 million people to 20 million people.
• What is agreed: more relief is needed, and a six-member committee has seven to ten days to work out how.
• What happens if talks fail: the Islamabad march goes ahead in mid-November, and the party says street protests will follow.

For drivers, the key number to watch is not just the pump price. It is the levy itself. At Rs80 a litre, the levy is a large part of what you pay. Any cut to it, even a phased one, would show up at the pump. A flat cut would help everyone, rich and poor alike. Targeted help would reach only those on the list, which is why the two sides are still arguing about the method.

The timing also matters for household budgets. Fuel costs feed into bus fares, truck freight and food prices, so a levy decision in the next ten days will shape costs well beyond the petrol station. That link to food and transport is why this story sits close to the State Bank's recent rate rise to 12 percent, which was also driven by pressure on prices.

Future Developments

The next step is the committee's work. The government has seven to ten days to come back with proposals on relief and on phasing out the levy. Jamaat-e-Islami says it will keep talking, but it will also keep mobilising for the march across the country.

If the committee produces a package the party can accept, the march could still be called off or scaled back. If it does not, the party says the march will start in mid-November and will not be postponed again. Either way, the next announcement on relief, due within ten days, will be the moment to watch.

Watch too for the formal list of who gets targeted relief. The jump from 12.7 million to 20 million people is a big claim, and the details of who qualifies will decide whether most households feel any change at all.

Sources

• Geo News: JI says Islamabad march will go ahead in mid-November after talks with PM
• The News: Islamabad march to go ahead as govt seeks 10 more days on petroleum levy
• The Express Tribune: JI gives govt 10 days to abolish petroleum levy, threatens to resume Islamabad march in mid-Nov
• Business Recorder: JI gives govt 7 to 10 days to provide relief, phase out petroleum levy

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