LAHORE, September 3, 2026: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said the party’s sit-ins will continue alongside negotiations with the government, saying talks would be more effective while the protests remain underway, ARY News reported.
Speaking at a joint press conference with a government delegation in Lahore, Hafiz Naeem said discussions with the government representatives were held in a positive manner.
He said Jamaat-e-Islami had formed a technical team for negotiations and announced that the party’s sit-ins had entered their 19th day.
Hafiz Naeem said the government had asked Jamaat-e-Islami to form a technical team, adding that he was announcing his team’s formation the same day.
He said the party would present its suggestions based on facts and figures and knew where relief could be provided to the public.
The JI chief demanded that the price of bread be reduced to Rs10 and called for cuts in petroleum prices. He said the party’s basic demand was the abolition of the petroleum levy and a reduction in prices.
Hafiz Naeem said the price of the levy was increased instead of being reduced during the war-like situation, while any increase in petroleum products affected the prices of all daily-use items.
He said a sit-in that began in one city had now spread to between 15 and 20 cities. The protests, he added, were not being held for personal interests or any private agenda but to address the daily problems faced by the public.
He said inflation was the biggest issue, claiming that 90 to 95 percent of Pakistanis were struggling to meet their basic needs, while poverty had increased by 33 percent.
Hafiz Naeem said motorcycle riders were paying 35 percent tax on one litre of petrol, which he described as unfair. He also claimed that Rs8 trillion had been collected under the petroleum levy.
He said petrol prices were not reduced in Pakistan after the war-like environment ended and prices became cheaper elsewhere.
The JI chief said the government had asked the party to postpone its sit-ins.
“We said the sit-ins will continue because talks will be more enjoyable that way,” Hafiz Naeem said.
