JI postpones Saturday sit‑ins, shifts nationwide protests to August 16 and plans large gatherings at governor houses.

Jamaat‑e‑Islami (JI) postponed sit‑ins that had been scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 9, in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta. The party will now hold the demonstrations on Aug. 16. The decision was made in a special meeting chaired by JI Ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman. Deputy Ameers Liaqat Baloch and Usama Razi, Acting Secretary General Nazir Ahmad Janjua, Syed Waqas Anjum Jafri, Azhar Iqbal Hassan, Rasool Khan Babar, Javed Qasuri and Ziauddin Ansari were in attendance, and emirs from all provinces joined via video link. In a video statement, Rehman said the sit‑ins had been shifted because of Independence Day celebrations and that all provinces would hold simultaneous protests. He said the campaign would be “the voice of Pakistan” and added, “Hakimran will have to stop oppression and coercion.” A major sit‑in will take place outside the Punjab Chief Minister’s House in Lahore, while protests are scheduled outside the Governor Houses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan. In 510 demonstration sites the party called for the withdrawal of the petroleum levy and a reduction in petrol prices. Rehman noted that the party had successfully raised its voice against independent power producers and secured government acceptance of its demands. He also welcomed the defence agreement between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia and urged other Muslim countries to join the arrangement.