Pakistan, Aug. 18 -- Jamaat-e-Islami has taken its protest to the streets, setting up a sit-in outside the Governor House in Karachi. Monday marked the second day of the demonstration. Karachi chief Munim Zafar Khan says the anger is real. People are tired of high petrol prices, heavy petroleum levies and expensive electricity bills. This frustration did not appear overnight. It has built up over months as household expenses have continued to rise.

Mr Zafar has demanded an immediate reduction in petrol prices and described the levies imposed on fuel as unfair. There is merit in the broader concern. Ordinary families cannot indefinitely absorb higher costs, particularly when every increase in fuel prices travels through the economy. Trans...