Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) “Super Train Long March” against the petroleum levy reached Multan on Tuesday, September 22, as part of the party’s ongoing protest campaign against the government’s fuel taxation policy.
The march, led by JI Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, travelled from Karachi towards Multan, with party workers and supporters gathering at Multan Railway Station to receive the caravan. The party has been demanding the complete withdrawal of the petroleum levy and has linked the campaign to the broader economic pressures faced by ordinary citizens.
Addressing supporters after arriving in Multan, Hafiz Naeem said the train carrying the protest caravan had been delayed by around four hours.
He questioned the reason for the delay and pointed to the sizeable gathering at the railway station, saying the reception demonstrated continued public interest in the campaign. Earlier, the JI chief had also publicly questioned the delay in the Shalimar Express while the caravan was travelling from Sukkur towards Multan.
The JI leader said the protest movement would continue moving through Punjab after reaching southern Punjab. He also said people were participating in the campaign in parts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Hafiz Naeem reiterated the party’s demand that the government withdraw the petroleum levy and provide relief to consumers. JI has made abolition of the levy the central demand of its nationwide protest campaign and previously announced that its march would continue towards Islamabad if the demand was not addressed.
The party has also criticised the rising cost of essential commodities, including flour and sugar, arguing that lower- and middle-income households are facing increasing financial pressure.
March Continues Towards Punjab and Islamabad
The Multan stop marks another stage of JI’s planned mobilisation towards Islamabad. The party had announced that its train caravan from Karachi would travel through Multan before proceeding towards Lahore and ultimately Islamabad, alongside other caravans travelling from different parts of the country.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif contacted Hafiz Naeem on Tuesday and requested that the march be postponed until his return to Pakistan, according to a JI spokesperson. The spokesperson said the prime minister offered talks on the petroleum levy, while Hafiz Naeem said the party did not want confrontation but would continue raising what it described as public concerns.
