KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has warned that the party will call for an Islamabad protest if the government fails to show seriousness in ongoing talks and refuses to scrap the petroleum levy. Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, Naeem said the JI would announce the Islamabad protest if the government remained “adamant” and did not move towards ending the levy. “If the government does not show seriousness in negotiations and remains adamant and does not move towards ending the petroleum levy, then we will give the call for Islamabad,” Naeem said, adding that he would announce the call at a sit-in planned for September 10. The JI chief said the party had presented the government with a detailed proposal containing six or seven key points on how the petroleum levy could be eliminated. Naeem criticised the government for increasing petroleum prices while negotiations were underway, saying it should have avoided raising prices during what he described as a crisis across the country and instead reduced the burden through taxes. The JI has been leading protests across Pakistan since mid-August, demanding a reduction in the levy following substantial increases in petrol and diesel prices linked to energy supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing United States-Iran conflict. The government team involved in the talks includes Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah and Punjab Minister of Specialized Health Khawaja Salman Rafique. The team held talks with Naeem and other JI leaders earlier this month in Lahore.