Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman Leads JI Train March Into Multan

Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman – (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman found himself at the center of a fast-moving political moment on Tuesday, as his party’s train march rolled into Multan and the prime minister picked up the phone to talk him down.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the Jamaat-e-Islami chief just as the protest train pulled into the city. He asked the party to hold off on its campaign against the petroleum levy, at least until he gets back to the country.

According to a JI spokesperson, the prime minister didn’t stop there. He also promised proper talks on the levy issue once he returns, signaling that the government wants a way out of the standoff rather than a showdown on the streets.

Hafiz Naeem’s response was polite but firm. He told the prime minister that JI has no interest in creating chaos or clashing with the state. Still, he made it clear that the party sees this protest as a basic right, one tied directly to the struggles ordinary people are facing.

Any decision on pausing the march, he said, will go through JI’s Shura first. That’s the party’s central council, and it has the final say. Even if the march does pause for now, Hafiz Naeem was blunt about one thing: the right to protest isn’t up for negotiation.

The train itself had a rough start. It reached Multan late Monday night, running about four hours behind schedule. But the delay didn’t stop crowds from showing up at the railway station to greet the marchers.

Speaking to supporters there, Hafiz Naeem pointed to the turnout as proof of public support. He said the people who tried to work against the march should take a good look at how many showed up anyway.

He also noted that support isn’t limited to Punjab. People in parts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are showing up too, he said, as the route now shifts through southern Punjab before heading into the central part of the province.

As for government efforts to slow things down using containers on the roads, Hafiz Naeem brushed that off. He repeated JI’s core demand: scrap the petroleum levy and give people real relief at the pump.

His message on that point was simple. If the government eases the burden on citizens, JI isn’t looking for a win or a fight. It’s about outcomes, not ego, he said.

Beyond fuel prices, Hafiz Naeem widened the conversation to cover flour, sugar, and wheat costs, arguing that everyday economic pressure is being ignored by most political parties. He accused flour and sugar cartels of having too much sway inside political circles, and criticized the government’s back-and-forth policies on sugar imports and exports.

He also brought up JI’s earlier campaign against agreements with independent power producers, framing it as part of a broader pattern of the party standing up for public interest.

The march itself began in Karachi on Sunday, combining train and road travel as it works its way toward Islamabad. JI has already held demonstrations in multiple cities and has sat down with the federal government for talks before.

From Multan, the plan is to keep moving toward Lahore, with Islamabad marking the final stop of the campaign.