Hafiz Naeem Slams Petrol Price Hike, Warns of Industrial Collapse

Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman lashed out at the federal government Tuesday, warning that the latest spike in petrol prices will crush the working class and force local industries to a standstill. The hike isn’t just about the cost at the pump. It triggers a domino effect. When petrol goes up, everything from the price of a kilo of onions to the operational costs of a textile mill follows. Naeem argues the government is “squeezing the blood” out of citizens to satisfy international lenders while refusing to cut its own overheads. “This isn’t governance; it’s economic terrorism against the poor,” Naeem told reporters. He pointed out that while global oil markets fluctuate, the Pakistani government remains obsessed with taxing the common man instead of recovering billions from the landed elite or the powerful corporate sector. The JI leader demanded an immediate reversal of the price hike. He called the current economic trajectory “unsustainable” for a country where the middle class is rapidly disappearing into the poverty bracket. The timing is particularly sharp. Pakistan is currently navigating a fragile recovery under an IMF program that demands strict revenue targets. For the government, the fuel levy is an easy collection tool. For the small factory owner in Faisalabad or the bike-rider in Karachi, it’s a breaking point. Power tariffs are already at record highs; fuel was the final straw. Naeem didn’t mince words about the industrial impact. High fuel and energy costs make Pakistani exports uncompetitive. When factories can’t afford to run, they lay off workers. “You are creating a graveyard of industries,” he said, noting that the manufacturing sector is already gasping for air. He hinted at a tougher stance in the coming days. If the prices stay, the JI’s “Haq Do Awam Ko” (Give Rights to the People) movement might move from city squares to the country’s main supply arteries. “We won’t let the elite thrive while the masses starve,” Naeem said, leaving the door open for a full-scale shutter-down strike across the country.