The PML-N federal government and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) have been fixing an appointment with one another and today (Monday) they will be discussing core matters became the questions such as high electricity bills, industrial power price, inflationary pressures, capacity payment of IPPs and other associated issues would require discussion again.
Nevertheless, more talks between the two parties, JI will remain to demonstrate against rising inflation rates in Rawalpindi as the protest has been carrying on for three days. On Sunday, officials of the government side headed by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Amir Muqam, and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry sat with JI’s negotiation team including Secretary General Liaquat Baloch at the commissioner office Rawalpindi.
After the consultations, Baloch stated that the government is to establish a technical committee to look into the problem of tariffs on electricity and possible tax hikes. This committee may end its internal deliberation by Monday, however, protests at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi will continue.
The JI Ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman had threatened on Saturday that if his party’s demands to the government were not met regarding the high electricity bills and taxes then their sit-in might go to other areas.
Baloch appreciated the initial meetings and stressed that the demonstration was oriented toward people’s concerns instead of political rivalry. He said the government has acknowledged to consider the demands by putting a proposal to form a technical committee to attend to some of the concerns. The JI also compiled a list of 35 party workers arrested during the protest, out of them most of the workers have been released.
The information minister Attaullah Tarar also reassured JI that the government is willing to address the group’s issue and directed that the workers be released from detention. He also spoke of externalities in the stream of government spending privatization, FBRs digitization, and other economic reforms to help the public ease.
Engineer Amir Muqam who is Minister for Kashmir Affairs also confirmed the capability of the government to deliver the services asserting that efficient governance and smooth running were the priority of the authorities. These prioritized issues would be further discussed by the technical committee which involves representatives of the Ministry of Water and Power, the Energy Secretary, FBR, and the Ministry of Finance with JI for its resolution.