Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman on Tuesday said that his party, days after it reached an agreement with the government and postponed its Rawalpindi sit-in, would once again take to the streets but this time it will join hands with trader groups in its protests.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad the JI emir said: “Consultations are underway with traders. We have several options [….] Will call for peaceful demonstrations together with trade bodies.”
Last week, the party announced deferring its 14-day long sit-in following successful negotiations with the government over demands including slashing high power tariffs and reviewing agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) which have been under the spotlight as people are paying hefty bills blamed on capacity payments being made to independent power producers.
“We are deferring and not ending the sit-in,” the JI chief said while warning that they would stage a sit-in again if the government didn’t go through with their agreement.
The announcement came after the JI delegation led by Liaquat Baloch held multiple rounds of talks with the government team which eventually culminated in an agreement signed by Information Minister Ataullah Tarar and Interior Minister Moshin Naqvi.
Continuing on in his presser today, Hafiz Naeem fired a broadside at the ruling elite for worsening the law and order situation in the country.
“There is no peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Bandits rule in Sindh [whereas] Punjab’s situation has also worsened that before,” the politician said while calling on the rulers to improve the law and order situation.
Lamenting the country’s prevailing economic situation and its effects on the masses, the JI chief noted that 80% of the youth don’t want to live in the country.
Commenting on the burden on the inflation-weary masses, the politico said that no one was opposed to broadening the tax net, however, he lamented that taxes were being imposed on the people and further highlighted the concerns of the traders and industrialists.
Calling for slashing the taxes imposed on the salaried class, Naeem warned that the party would once again take to the streets if the government failed to implement the agreement with them.
“The government has 40 days left […] we have several options [to hold] protests,” he added.