SWAT: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Ameer Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has warned the government that failure to accept the demands of the people of Malakand Division could lead to a countrywide wheel-jam strike and a major protest march.
Addressing participants of a sit-in at Nishat Chowk in Mingora on Friday against the petroleum levy and imposition of taxes in Malakand Division, Hafiz Naeem said the demand for tax exemption was justified and the region should continue to receive tax relief until normalcy returns.
He said the government claimed it could not reduce the petroleum levy, but warned that if relief was not provided to the people, Jamaat-e-Islami would expand the protest movement across the country.
Hafiz Naeem said the reduction in electricity bills had been achieved through Jamaat-e-Islami’s struggle and maintained that the party was representing the people. He said the people of Malakand Division, southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country were facing serious law-and-order challenges, making tax relief a responsibility of the government.
He warned that if the demands were not accepted, a sit-in would begin the day after tomorrow, followed by new protests on a daily basis. He said the next phase would go beyond a shutter-down strike and include a wheel-jam strike, with its date to be announced soon.
After the wheel-jam strike, he said, Jamaat-e-Islami would organize a foot march, with participation expected from Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh.
The Jamaat-e-Islami chief said he would soon issue a major call and told Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that his government’s downfall had begun. He urged the government to take notice of public anger and provide immediate relief.
Hafiz Naeem further warned that if the government continued delaying the matter and the relevant committee failed to perform effectively, Jamaat-e-Islami would launch a “bring down the government, bring revolution” march.
He said the rulers would not be able to escape public anger if the government’s response to the demands remained inadequate.
Jamaat-e-Islami Khyber Pakhtunkhwa North Ameer Inayatullah Khan, General Secretary Muhammad Haleem Bacha, JI Swat Ameer Hafiz Muhammad Israr and Mingora City District Ameer Muhammad Amin also addressed the gathering.