JI links Karachi woes to poor governance, announces protests against petroleum levy next week

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi chief Monem Zafar Khan on Friday blamed poor governance, rising inflation and administrative failures for the city's worsening conditions, demanding the abolition of the petroleum levy and announcing nationwide protests against the tax next week. Addressing a press conference at Johar Park in Delhi Mercantile Society, Khan said citizens had been denied any relief despite a decline in international oil prices. "The petroleum levy is nothing but an extortion tax. It must be abolished, and petrol prices should be reduced," he said. He said JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman had called for countrywide protests on August 7 against the levy, adding that demonstrations would also be held across Karachi. As part of the campaign, the party's women's wing will organise a march on Shahrah-e-Quaideen on August 3 afternoon, where Rehman is scheduled to address participants. Read: JI Chief mocks Maryam-Bilawal exchanges as 'political theatre' Khan also criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party, accusing it of failing to provide basic civic facilities and maintain law and order in Karachi. Commenting on the interior minister's remarks about the country's deterioration and the failure of the system, Khan said the system had effectively collapsed when the mandate of Karachi's residents was “stolen”. He said the PPP had ruined Karachi, adding “corruption and incompetence are synonymous with the party”. The JI Karachi chief said corruption and misgovernance had left residents without essential services, while incidents of kidnapping, murder, robbery and street crimes were common. Citing official figures, he claimed that around 40,000 street crime cases had been reported during the first six months of the year. During the speech, the JI leader also announced the launch of the party's annual Green Karachi tree plantation campaign. He said the party's nine town administrations had restored 278 parks over the past three years and introduced the concept of urban forests. This year, each JI-led town would establish another urban forest and install water harvesting systems. Read more: Climate change and public health Stressing the importance of green cover, Khan urged the citizens to not only plant trees but also to look after them. Warning about the impact of climate change, Khan said extreme weather events were becoming increasingly common across the world, causing thousands of deaths. Recalling 2015 and 2016 heatwaves in the city, he said the extreme weather took the lives of thousands of people, and therefore there is an urgent need to prevent such a tragedy in the future. امیر جماعت اسلامی کراچی منعم ظفر خان آو اپنا کراچی سر سبز بنائیں ۔۔ شجر کاری مہم کے سلسلے میں پریس کانفرنس سے خطاب کررہے ہیں جبکہ اس موقع پر اپوزیشن لیڈر کے ایم سی سیف الدین ایڈوکیٹ ، گلشن ٹاؤن کے چیئرمین ڈاکٹر فواد احمد جناح ٹاؤن کے چیئرمین رضوان عبدالسمیع اور جماعت اسلامی حلقہ… pic.twitter.com/e2jKBdfCiK — Jamaat e Islami Karachi (@KarachiJamaat) July 31, 2026 “Government incompetence and corruption have turned Karachi into a concrete jungle.” The JI leader alleged, “8-storey structures are being erected on plots measuring only 60 square yards.” He further said unchecked multi-storey construction and large-scale tree cutting for infrastructure projects, including the Red Line and Green Line bus corridors, were responsible for the urban dilemma. Also Read: JI rejects daily fuel price mechanism He claimed the city currently had only around two per cent green cover despite requiring between 25 and 30 per cent to meet environmental needs. Quoting international standards, he said there should be one tree for every seven people and urged residents to plant and protect trees. "Our resolve is to make Karachi green and prosperous, and despite limited resources and restricted powers, we will continue our journey of development and public service," he concluded. A day earlier, Rehman had described the recent exchange of allegations between Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and PPP Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari as "political theatre", saying both parties were exposing each other over the issues of Form 47. He was addressing a press conference at the JI headquarters in Lahore’s Mansoora when he raised concerns about the legitimacy of elections recently held in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as well as those held in the past across Pakistan. Rehman had also called on the people to participate in nationwide protests against inflation and bad governance planned on August 7 while hinting at the government to engage in dialogue with him to resolve outstanding issues.

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