Overview
- JI organised coordinated sit-ins and blockades at about 510 locations across 170 districts on Friday, disrupting major routes in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta and other cities.
- Traffic authorities issued special management plans and deployed officers to reroute vehicles and keep at least one lane open for ambulances, but long queues and severe congestion persisted on highways and city arteries.
- Clashes occurred during attempts to clear blockades, including reported confrontations between police and protesters at Islamabad’s Chungi No. 26, and party leaders warned suppression would broaden the campaign.
- JI leaders demanded immediate abolition of the petroleum levy and a cut in petrol to Rs225 per litre while alleging large levy collections by the federal government; the party announced a march to the Punjab chief minister’s house and sit-ins at governors’ residences on Sunday, Aug. 9.
- Provincial officials criticised the road closures as disruptive and noted fuel pricing is a federal matter, highlighting rising friction between local authorities charged with public order and JI’s pressure campaign that could force political debate over taxation and relief measures.