MALAKAND: Jamaat-i-Islami Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emir Inayatullah Khan has said that his party’s protest against petrol levy has not been postponed, but a one-week respite has been given on the request of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The protest will continue until the petroleum levy is abolished. Protest sit-ins will be held in Lower Dir and Upper Dir on September 26, while a march on Islamabad is scheduled in the first week of October.

He said the arrest of elected members is condemnable, but we also reject the provincial government’s police reforms. It is not possible to end tax enforcement in Malakand division by closing the motorway, he said, adding Jamaat-i-Islami will resume its struggle against tax enforcement after the petroleum levy issue is resolved.

He expressed these views while addressing a press conference at Markazi Islami Pul Chowki Malakand. Deputy provincial emir and former MNA Syed Bakhtiar Maani, general secretary Syed Haleem Bacha and District emir Shahab Hussain were also present.

He said that as a result of the Jamaat-i-Islami’s protest 21 more independent power producers (IPPs) were expected to exit their contracts soon, which, he claimed, would help reduce electricity prices.

Responding to a question, Mr Inayatullah condemned the alleged kidnapping and torture of elected members in the province by unidentified persons, describing such incidents as unacceptable.

“We request the provincial government to run the party at its own expense instead of using public money to achieve political objectives. Government funds should not be used for political purposes,” he said.

He said that when Jamaat-i-Islami announced its protest on September 23, the PTI had described it as an attempt to malign its movement. “Now, when we gave them an opportunity to stage their protest, they took it as an insult and launched a campaign of misbehaviour, which is regrettable,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2026