ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) religious party on Wednesday announced a fresh nationwide campaign to demand abolition of the government’s petroleum levy, saying it would stage demonstrations and sit-ins in 150 cities from Friday.

Pakistan’s government levies Rs114 [$0.41] per liter in taxes and duties on petrol and Rs100 [$0.36] per liter on diesel. In recent months, the exorbitant levy has sparked protests across the country, amid multiple hikes in fuel prices due to Gulf supply disruptions.

On Wednesday, JI chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said that his party would launch a third phase of its anti-inflation movement, arguing that the levy imposed on every liter of fuel had become an unjust financial burden on ordinary Pakistanis.

“The third phase, against the extortion being collected from us on every liter in the form of the petroleum levy, will begin this Friday,” Rehman said in a video message shared by his party on X.

“We will hold protests, sit-ins and demonstrations simultaneously in 150 cities across Pakistan. We believe that this levy must be abolished at all costs.”

Pakistan’s government relies on the petroleum levy as a major source of non-tax revenue, with collections helping finance budgetary expenditures and meet fiscal targets agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The levy is imposed separately from the base price of petroleum products.

Fuel prices remain a politically sensitive issue in Pakistan, where higher transportation and energy costs quickly feed into inflation and increase the cost of living. Opposition parties have repeatedly organized demonstrations against fuel price hikes, while the government has defended the levy as necessary to stabilize the economy and sustain fiscal reforms.

On Wednesday, the government reduced the price of petrol by Rs2.71 to Rs379.31 ($1.37) per liter, while high-speed diesel (HSD) went up by Re0.31 to Rs390.11 ($1.41) per liter.

Rehman’s party has held major demonstrations over petroleum levy since Aug. this year. Last month, the party led a march toward the capital, Islamabad, but Rehman asked his supporters in Multan to disperse following what he called a request by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to temporarily halt the march.

“Through public pressure, we will, God willing, force the government to abolish this levy, because these people are not willing to listen to the public,” Rehman told his supporters on Wednesday.

“So, everyone should prepare for this.”