Jamaat-e-Islami will launch the third phase of its protest movement against the petroleum levy from October 23, with sit-ins planned across all districts of the country on Friday, the party said. A Jamaat-e-Islami spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday that the government committee had earlier contacted the party to arrange a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.

However, the spokesperson said the government had made no further contact despite matters regarding the meeting having been settled. The party said the abolition of the petroleum levy would be the agenda for any meeting between PM Shehbaz and Hafiz Naeem.

The latest announcement comes after Jamaat-e-Islami had on September 22 postponed the next phase of its march on Islamabad following contact between the prime minister and Hafiz Naeem. At the time, the Jamaat-e-Islami chief said PM Shehbaz had asked the party to postpone its march and invited its leadership for talks after his return to Pakistan.

Hafiz Naeem had said Jamaat-e-Islami would meet the prime minister but would not abandon its protest movement, which seeks relief for the public through lower fuel prices and the abolition of the petroleum levy. Jamaat-e-Islami had earlier staged sit-ins at 510 locations across the country and observed a shutdown strike as part of its campaign against rising fuel prices and inflation.

The party has maintained that it would seek written assurances from the government before deciding its future course of action regarding any possible negotiations or further street agitation. Political analysts view this ongoing confrontation as a major test for the federal government, which is currently grappling with strict economic stabilization targets agreed upon with international financial institutions.

As the October 23 deadline approaches, both the administration and opposition factions are bracing for heightened political tensions across major urban and rural centers nationwide.