Jamaat-e-Islami Launches Long March to Islamabad Over Petroleum Levy

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) launched its "Super Long March" to Islamabad on Sunday, September 20, 2026, rejecting a government appeal to postpone the protest over security concerns. The march, which began with train and road caravans from Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, and Lahore, is scheduled to converge in the capital for a sit-in on September 23. The party's primary demand is the total withdrawal of the petroleum development levy (PDL), which JI leaders have termed an "extortion" on the public. JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, leading the march from Karachi's Cantonment Station, warned that if the government attempted to suppress the movement, the situation could escalate beyond control. The protest follows the failure of talks between JI and a government delegation on September 19. According to reports, the government asked JI to postpone the march citing unspecified security threats, but JI leadership refused, stating the march was necessary until the levy was abolished. "The protest will only end when the levy's extortion will be ended," Hafiz Naeem told media at the launch.