Islamabad: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naemur Rehman on Monday announced a protest against “high taxes and excessive electricity tariffs” in Islamabad on July 12.
JI announced the ‘Hak Do Awam Ko’ (rights for the masses) movement in a post on social media platform X and said Rehman would lead the rally.
President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday approved the government’s Fiscal Finance Bill 2024 for the new fiscal year. The government, which presented the budget two weeks ago, was heavily criticized by the opposition, especially the PTI, and its coalition partner, the PPP.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi today, Rehman spoke in detail about the economic hardships faced by citizens and said that JI cannot see people suffering under such a “circus”.
He said the government and the ruling class were not ready to give up their power and privileges, but had no problem putting the nation “in a more difficult position”.
Calling the budget “tyranny”, he said it was not enough to satisfy the government’s “greed” and he said he wanted to impose additional taxes on the people.
Rehman said the tax burden fell on the salaried class while landlords and the elite were “exempted”.
“We think that all these issues should be taken seriously,” he said, adding that party leaders had decided after deliberations to hold a rally in Islamabad on July 12.
“This protest will be for electricity and tax cuts,” he said. “The cost of the privileged sector must be reduced and the cost of the electricity unit will be reduced and this tax system must be abolished.”
The JI chief also criticized the slab-based tariff structure of the electricity bill and cited it. He said the protests would force the government to back down and stop “repressive measures”.
Citing the example of doctors, engineers, information technology specialists and chartered accountants, Rehman admitted that 119 percent of professionals have left the country in the last two years compared to the previous year due to the economic downturn.
“If they leave, who will govern the country?” asked.
“Pakistan needs medical professionals who find a way to leave the country because of inflation, unemployment, unrest and these taxes.”
Rehman pointed out that such taxes have led to the exodus of professionals from the country and said that even young people are arguing because of such policies.
“What is their idea of running the country?” ask the government and say that Form-47 government do whatever they want as they want.
“We cannot leave the people alone. God willing on July 12 there will be a historic protest by JI,” he said.
“We will sit there, we will sit, then we will hold talks from there and we will conduct this campaign from there in Pakistan,” he said.
He said that the party was consulting on the strike call and called on the traders, industrialists and wage earners to join the party movement.
Rehman also attacked electricity distribution companies for reducing load during the recent heat wave.
He has rejected calls for re-election with the support of various parties and said he has Form 45.
