First Round of Talks Completed, Government Announces Release of 35 Jamaat-e-Islami Workers
RAWALPINDI: Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, stated that when the ruling class fails to work and the Parliament becomes nothing more than a rubber stamp, the public is forced to take to the streets.
Addressing the participants of a protest sit-in at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi, he emphasized that no one desires to leave their homes and sit on the streets. However, they have come out for the future of the country and will stay until their demands are met.
“Agreements with Independent Power Producers (IPPs) were kept hidden, and upon investigation, it was revealed that the ruling class was involved. The budget for capacity charges on electricity surpasses the defence budget. IPPs that are working properly should continue, but those that are not should be completely shut down,” he added/
Rehman asserted that the state has authority over every agreement, and if this is not the case, those who made these agreements should be hanged in public.
The ruling class, he criticized, is not working, and the Parliament is ineffective, forcing the public to protest. Rehman said that the government has set the minimum wage at Rs37,000, but he challenged them to run a household with electricity bills and inflation at that rate.
Questioning if the poor should choose the path of suicide, the JI chief stated that they had no choice but to engage in political resistance and called on the youth, lawyers, scholars, and civil society of Pakistan to join their movement. He said that their basic demands have been conveyed to the government’s negotiation committee, which include reducing electricity prices, ending the slab system, and abolishing taxes on salaried individuals.
Pointing out that Pakistan collects four times more taxes than India, he highlighted that educated individuals, businessmen, and farmers are drowning in debt. There would be a public meeting today, and on Monday, women would come out in protest. He hinted at possibly announcing sit-ins across Pakistan in today’s meeting, emphasizing that they will rise to claim their rights.
He reiterated that both sit-ins and negotiations will continue simultaneously. Mere lip service, he warned, will not work, and Jamaat-e-Islami will not relent until public issues are resolved.
Talks between the government and Jamaat-e-Islami teams have begun at the Commissioner House Rawalpindi in response to protests against high electricity prices, taxes, and inflation.
Yesterday, the government extended an invitation for talks to Jamaat-e-Islami, which they accepted. Jamaat-e-Islami presented 10 demands for the negotiations, and both sides formed committees for the discussions.
The government’s negotiation committee is led by Minister of Information Atta Tarar, Ameer Maqam, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, and trader leader Kashif Chaudhry, who are all present at the Commissioner House. The Commissioner of Rawalpindi and Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi, Hassan Waqar Cheema, are also part of the government delegation, while Additional Commissioner Coordination Syed Nazart Shah has also arrived at the Commissioner Office.
Jamaat-e-Islami’s four-member negotiation team, led by Vice Amir Liaqat Baloch, is also present at the Commissioner House. The talks between the government and Jamaat-e-Islami teams have officially commenced.
It is worth noting that Jamaat-e-Islami’s sit-in protest against electricity bills and inflation at Liaqat Bagh in Rawalpindi is ongoing for the third consecutive day.
