LOWER DIR: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has warned that the party will launch a movement to topple the government if it fails to provide relief to the public and abolish heavy taxes, including the petroleum levy.
Addressing a large public rally at Gorgori Chowk in Timergara, the headquarters of Lower Dir, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman urged JI workers to prepare for an Islamabad long march scheduled for September 20, saying the demonstration could alter the course of national politics.
The rally was also addressed by JI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa North Emir Inayatullah Khan, District Amir Maulana Asadullah Khan, District Information Secretary Shoaib Ahmed and other party leaders.
Congratulating the local leadership and workers for organizing the rally, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said the gathering had grown into a major public demonstration within a few hours.
He said protest activities and sit-ins were currently taking place in several parts of the country, including Timergara, Shangla, Mirpur Khas, Hyderabad, Karachi and Sukkur. According to the JI emir, the party had brought people together on a common platform to raise issues affecting their rights and livelihoods.
JI Criticizes Inflation and Economic Policies
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman strongly criticized the government’s economic policies, saying inflation, taxes and other financial pressures had placed an unbearable burden on ordinary citizens.
He also highlighted the country’s education crisis, saying millions of children remain out of school. He questioned why political forces that can unite on certain issues cannot come together to address education and peace.
The JI emir maintained that a peaceful march towards Islamabad is a democratic right of the people and said his party would continue its campaign against inflation and the petroleum levy.
He also criticized the country’s interest-based financial system, alleging that the government was reluctant to reduce interest rates because of concerns about the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He alleged that powerful groups in the banking, sugar, flour and independent power producer (IPP) sectors were benefiting from public resources while ordinary citizens continued to face economic hardship.
According to Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, even a marginal reduction in interest rates could save billions of rupees for the national exchequer. He claimed that influential economic groups had received the backing of successive governments.
Calls for Government Action
The JI emir said vested interests existed across political parties, making the issue broader than any single political organization. He also claimed that workers associated with other political parties were joining the movement launched by Jamaat-e-Islami.
He said the government had so far refused to accept JI proposals aimed at reducing government expenditure and providing relief to the public. He claimed that the government had failed to present an effective counterargument to the party’s position during negotiations.
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman warned that if the government failed to provide meaningful relief, the matter would ultimately be decided through public mobilization.
“If the government does not provide relief to the people, the outcome will be decided on the streets,” he said, reiterating JI’s intention to launch a movement against the government.
He further emphasized that the party’s strength lies in its workers and leadership, saying the close relationship between them has remained a key source of Jamaat-e-Islami’s organizational resilience.