JI Protests Power Outages, Inflation in KP
Jamaat-i-Islami staged a protest at Farooq Azam Chowk in Charsadda on Friday against the petroleum levy, rising inflation and prolonged power outages, warning that the party would expand its campaign and stage sit-ins outside government offices if the outages were not addressed.
The demonstrators also raised farmers’ problems and alleged corruption, demanding immediate relief for the public and measures to address the issues confronting the agriculture sector.
JI protest KP warns of wider sit-ins
Addressing the demonstration, JI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa deputy general secretary Sohail Ahmad, Charsadda district emir Shah Hussain Advocate, general secretary Fawad Ahmad, District Bar Association president Mujeebur Rehman Advocate, Haroon Khan, Sajjad Ahmad and Abdul Malik rejected the petroleum levy, describing it as an additional financial burden on the people.
The speakers said a protest campaign against the levy had been under way for three to four months under the leadership of JI emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, arguing that rising inflation had severely eroded the purchasing power of ordinary citizens.
They claimed the country was burdened with Rs999 billion in debt and that every Pakistani owed approximately Rs400,000, adding that even newborn babies carried the weight of the country’s liabilities.
The protesters warned that if prolonged power outages were not addressed, the party would take its campaign to the doors of the relevant government offices.
What the petroleum levy means for households
The levy sits on top of fuel prices that have already strained household budgets. Petrol prices in Pakistan have climbed through the autumn, and each increase ripples through transport fares, food prices and the cost of running tube-wells for farmers — the constituency JI was speaking to in Charsadda.
For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s farming belt, the combination is punishing: expensive diesel for machinery, erratic electricity for irrigation, and market prices that do not keep pace with input costs. That is the audience the party is trying to mobilise, and the reason its protest framed the levy as a farmers’ issue as much as a consumers’ one.
The grievances echo wider cost-of-living pressures: inflation in Pakistan remains in double digits, power consumers face detection-bill disputes with DISCOs, and the World Bank has urged a shift from stability to growth.
JI has run similar cost-of-living campaigns in the past, often positioning itself as the street-level opposition on utility bills and fuel taxes. The threat of sit-ins outside government offices follows that playbook — pressure through disruption rather than legislation. With winter approaching and electricity demand set to rise, the party is betting that outages will keep public anger warm.
FAQs
Where did the JI protest take place?
The protest was held at Farooq Azam Chowk in Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Friday, October 23, 2026.
What were the JI protesters demanding?
They demanded withdrawal of the petroleum levy, relief from inflation and prolonged power outages, action on farmers’ problems and measures against alleged corruption.
Who led the JI protest in Charsadda?
JI KP deputy general secretary Sohail Ahmad, Charsadda emir Shah Hussain Advocate and other district leaders addressed the demonstration.
What did JI threaten if outages continue?
The party warned it would expand its protest campaign and stage sit-ins outside the relevant government offices if prolonged power outages were not addressed.
