The government levies Rs114 per litre in taxes and duties on petrol and Rs100 per litre on diesel. The JI has been staging regular sit-ins in Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and dozens of other locations across the country since August 16 to protest the levy.

In a post on X, the JI said that a delegation comprising Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah and Provincial Minister Khawaja Salman Rafiq arrived in Mansoorah and was received by JI Deputy Emir Liaqat Baloch.

Visuals showed Iqbal and Sanaullah exiting their cars and walking with Baloch through a hallway, before entering a sitting room to begin negotiations.

JI Acting Secretary General Nazir Ahmad Janjua, Special Assistant Umer Idris, JI Lahore chief Ziauddin Ansari and Information Secretary Shakeel Ahmad Tabrabi were present at the meeting, according to the party.

‘No turning back’

Earlier, the party dug its heels in over its planned march, refusing to call it off unless the government abolishes the petroleum levy, with party chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman announcing that protest caravans from across the country would begin moving toward the capital on Sunday.

“If the rulers cannot abolish the levy, we cannot call off our march,” Rehman said at a press conference in Mansoorah, setting the stage for a potential standoff with the authorities.

The government, equipped with a recent Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruling against activities that curtail the freedom of movement, is determined to prevent rallies from disrupting traffic and the normal flow of life in the federal capital.

Rehman promised peaceful protest and warned the government not to take any action against the protesters.

“A public rally will be held in Karachi on Saturday night, before the caravans set out for Islamabad on September 20,” he said.

The JI chief urged the government to present a concrete proposal for abolishing the petroleum levy, noting the party had already rejected the government’s fuel relief package as inadequate.

Under the government’s current relief scheme, eligible motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingqi rickshaws and cars up to 800cc are to receive a subsidy of Rs100 per litre, subject to specified monthly limits.

Rehman said relief was not a favour but a right of the people, accusing the government of avoiding structural measures to reduce the burden on consumers, saying petroleum prices had a direct impact on the cost of essential commodities across the country.

He claimed that up to Rs107 per litre was being collected as petroleum levy on petrol, in addition to other taxes.

The JI chief criticised the government for failing to curb corruption and what he described as “excessive official expenditure”, saying officials should reduce their own spending instead of asking the people to make sacrifices.

To absorb the economic impact of renewed tensions in the Middle East, the government has reintroduced austerity measures, reducing fuel provision for official vehicles by 50 per cent for a period of three months.

Islamabad march

Rehman noted that the JI’s protest movement had entered its 35th day, with more than 25 sit-ins continuing across the country. He said the party had held peaceful demonstrations in 42 cities and claimed that the movement had now become a national issue.

“We are marching for the people with their support. There is no question of turning back,” he said, insisting that the number of sit-ins was being gradually reduced as part of the JI’s strategy for the Islamabad march.

The JI chief said the government had again contacted the party for talks, but repeatedly sought more time.

“If the government does not listen to talks, it will have to listen to public pressure,” he said.

On the PTI’s protest planned for September 27 for its incarcerated founder Imran Khan, Rehman said peaceful protest was a constitutional right of every political party and that containers should not be placed to block PTI demonstrations.

He said the JI supported the PTI’s right to peaceful protest, while the PTI had also supported the JI’s right to do so.

Economic policies criticised

On negotiations, Rehman said the government had repeatedly asked the JI to submit suggestions, although, he argued, it was the government’s responsibility to address public grievances.

He recalled that his party had already presented proposals during previous rounds of talks, but the government did not accept them.

Rehman also criticised the government’s economic policies, calling for a reduction in interest rates and questioning the State Bank of Pakistan’s autonomy. He argued that the government’s role in appointments to the central bank raised questions about its independence.

He further accused the government of using the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as an excuse for withholding relief from the public while continuing what he described as lavish official expenditure.

Citing foreign travel by senior officials and expenses incurred at official meetings, the JI chief called on Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to sell her official aircraft, which he valued at Rs11 billion.

Turning to the sugar and wheat sectors, the party chief alleged that powerful groups and cartels were influencing government decisions on imports and exports, further alleging farmers were not receiving adequate prices for wheat and sugarcane, contributing to higher food prices.

He also criticised payments to independent power producers (IPPs), saying Rs1.8 trillion was being paid in capacity payments. He further questioned payments to regasification plants despite what he described as gas shortages.

JI Acting Secretary General Nazir Ahmad Janjua, Vice Emir Dr Usama Razi and Deputy Secretary Azhar Iqbal Hassan were also present at the press conference.

Talks between the government and JI began on September 7 after the two sides agreed to form committees, comprising experts and leaders, to discuss recommendations for reducing the petroleum levy and providing relief to the public.

On Friday, Rehman claimed the party’s protest movement aimed to press the government for immediate economic relief, asserting that the national exchequer could save between Rs3 trillion and Rs4 trillion if the authorities adopted the party’s proposed fiscal reforms.

The PTI has called for a nationwide protest, including a “long march” to Islamabad, to demand the release of party founder Imran Khan and mobilise people for the supremacy of the Constitution.

The Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) opposition alliance, which Abbas is a key leader of, has assured the PTI of its support for the protest.

A post on Abbas’ X account on Saturday claimed that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had called on him and that the latter was informed only Imran could postpone the September 27 protest.

“No one can minus Imran,” he wrote.

TTAP Spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Ahmed Yousufzai, speaking to Dawn, claimed that the meeting was held on September 14 on Naqvi’s request.

He added that Abbas and PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan attended the meeting on the opposition’s side.

Responding to queries after a press conference at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad, Abbas said: “He (Naqvi) came to meet [us]. We have stated our stance and they will find out … that no individual can postpone the September 27 march without a meeting with Imran Khan sahib.”

He asserted, “Imran Khan cannot be minused; we will not let Imran Khan sahib be minused. Therefore, no issue can be resolved without a meeting with Imran Khan sahib.”

During the press conference, Abbas said providing basic facilities to the people and protecting their constitutional rights were major issues. He said that even a senior federal minister had acknowledged that the country’s system had “collapsed”.

TTAP leader and former Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair said there was a wide gap between the lifestyle of the ruling elite and the economic difficulties faced by ordinary citizens. He claimed that poverty, unemployment and inflation had increased compared with four and a half years ago. He said electricity prices had risen two to threefold, while people had made sacrifices in the hope that economic conditions would improve.

PTI leader and former KP finance minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra criticised government spending, questioning the reported purchase of a jet costing Rs10 billion and expenditure on official and private travel. He said every rupee of public money should be accounted for and questioned why relief was not being provided to people facing rising fuel prices.

On Friday, days after the meeting reportedly took place, Naqvi declared that the government would stop anyone from marching towards the federal capital “in every possible way”.

He further warned of contempt of court proceedings against those who violated the recent ruling by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), wherein it termed any activity resulting in infringement of citizens’ fundamental rights as a violation of the Constitution.

“The question is not whether a political party is entitled to protest. It plainly is, subject always to the Constitution and law,” the judgment observed.

KP CM meets Achakzai, Abbas

Abbas’ remarks come after earlier in the day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi met him and NA Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai to discuss the PTI’s upcoming protest.

In a post on X, TTAP said the KP CM held an “important meeting” with Abbas and Achakzai, who is also the TTAP chairman. Yousafzai was also present on the occasion.

“Detailed political consultations regarding the call for September 27 were held during the meeting, and various aspects of the future course of action, political strategy, and advancing the democratic struggle in an effective manner were discussed,” the statement said.

The politicians consulted on taking forward the protest call as an “effective and organised political struggle for upholding the supremacy of the Constitution, democratic rights, provincial rights, and the protection of the public mandate”.

The trio had also met on Thursday, shortly after CM Afridi concluded his visit to Punjab, where the upcoming protest was among the topics discussed.

As part of the PTI’s preparations, the KP CM toured Sindh and Punjab to mobilise supporters for the protest.

During his visit to the PML-N-led Punjab, Afridi not only alleged he was “abducted” by authorities in Lahore and later “thrown” by the roadside, but also claimed a man was sent to kill him.

The Punjab government had swiftly refuted the claims of arrest, while the Wazirabad police clarified that the man accused by Afridi was a police constable deployed on security duty for the KP CM.

The administrations of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad had already begun preparations last week to counter the PTI’s announced march to the capital, including a request for the detention of activists, arranging containers, seeking additional personnel and procuring anti-riot gear.

The certificate is an official document that verifies that a pensioner is alive.

Giving a breakdown of the facility’s usage, Nadra said 174,906 pensioners (52 per cent) obtained the certificate through the Pak ID app from home, 134,521 (40pc) through Nadra Registration Centres, 24,248 (7pc) through e-Sahulat centres and 3,585 (1pc) through mobile registration vans.

Pensioners can obtain the certificate online or at the nearest Nadra service channel, according to their convenience, for proof of life, it added.

Nadra noted that certain elements were deliberately misleading pensioners and urged them not to pay heed to such rumours. Pensioners were urged to contact the Nadra helpline, their nearest Nadra office or an e-Sahulat centre in case of complaints.

It added that if a CNIC number was not included in the list of pensioners, the relevant department should be contacted.

On August 20, Nadra had made the Proof of Life Certificate free for pensioners and expanded access to the document through multiple channels across the country.

The initiative was launched on the special directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence, Controller General of Accounts (CGA) and Military Accountant General (MAG).

According to Nadra, the easiest option to obtain the certificate was through the PakID mobile application, through which eligible pensioners could obtain the certificate digitally from home.

An immediate family member could also obtain the certificate on a pensioner’s behalf through their own PakID account, subject to the prescribed identity verification process.

For those preferring assisted services, the certificate could be obtained free of charge at more than 5,000 e-Sahulat franchises and over 988 Nadra Registration Centres and 500 Union Councils, where pensioners are given preferential service without having to wait in the regular queue.

For pensioners unable to reach a service point, Nadra said the facility was also available through mobile registration vans, biker services and ManPack registration services, which cater to citizens with limited mobility or access.

The Proof of Life certificate service is part of a wider reform under which Nadra has established a National Pensioners Register. In Phase I, pensioners administered by CGA and MAG have been brought onto the register to provide an authenticated digital reference for identity and life-status verification.

A separate verification service was made available to banks, allowing authorised banks to check a pensioner’s proof-of-life status directly through the National Pensioners Register. Nadra said this would provide a digital channel for pension disbursement and reduce reliance on repeated physical or paper-based verification.

The authority expected the register to be expanded in the next phase to include pensioners from other federal and provincial government organisations, public-sector bodies and private institutions, after agreements and institutional arrangements had been concluded.