By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman warned on Saturday that a sit-in protest in Rawalpindi could spread nationwide if the government fails to meet demands over soaring power bills and taxes.
Rehman also said the government’s “fascist tactics and negotiations cannot go hand in hand” as the party’s sit-in protest at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi entered its second day.
JI chief threatened to march on Islamabad if authorities failed to meet their demands, which include terminating agreements with independent power producers (IPPs), withdrawing taxes on the salaried class, and abolishing the petroleum levy.
“If the government thinks the sit-in will remain limited to Murree Road, it’s wishful thinking. We will spread across the country if our demands are not met,” Rehman told thousands of supporters at Liaquat Bagh.
“I want to tell the government not to remain in any illusion. We have arrived here and will formulate a plan of action daily. We will not leave from here, God-willing.”
The protest has caused disruptions in Rawalpindi, with the main artery blocked and metro bus services suspended.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has contacted JI leader Liaquat Baloch to discuss the party’s demands.
The JI has expanded its demands to ten, including a 50 percent discount on electricity bills for consumers using up to 500 units, a 20 percent cut in essential item prices, and an end to unfair taxes on agriculture and industry.
The government has formed a four-member committee for talks with the JI, but the party has expressed reservations about the team’s composition.
JI leader Liaquat Baloch said the party would announce its negotiation team on Sunday.
Rehman detailed his party’s demands at the Liaquat Bagh. “The government has only one way. If they would not bring the talks on the right path; if they would not form a proper committee, genuinely reduce electricity bills, revoke this [petroleum] levy, and end tax slabs on the salaried class introduced in this budget… these are genuine demands.”
Rehman slammed the government’s handling of power plants. “Plants have availed ten times their investment. We demand a forensic audit and punishment for officials involved in wrongdoing.”
“It’s the first time in Pakistan that even industrialists are lamenting about not being able to pay their bills and attempting to get them deferred. I met traders and industrialists here in the past week, and they lamented, ‘We are at our limits and cannot run our factories anymore.'”
He also criticized tax policies: “They say they’re bringing traders in the tax net under the ‘Tajir Dost Scheme’ banner. We and the traders are ready to be brought under the net… If there is any rightful tax, the traders will accept it.”
The sit-in, which began in protest of inflation and power bills, was relocated from D-Chowk to Liaquat Bagh after government talks with JI leaders. Around 40 party workers were arrested en route to the demonstration.
The protest has caused traffic disruptions and Metro Bus service suspensions, exacerbating residents’ hardships. JI announced a “grand public rally” Sunday at Liaquat Bagh after Maghrib prayers.
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