By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Protesters from Jamaat-e-Islami party poured into Islamabad, defying government restrictions and vowing to stage a sit-in against soaring living costs and additional taxes.
The protesters, led by party chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, converged on the capital from multiple directions, prompting authorities to seal off the Red Zone, home to key government buildings and diplomatic missions.
“We’re here to stay and will press the government to meet our demands,” said Aamir Baloch, a party spokesperson. “The government’s brutal tactics won’t deter us.”
“The sit-ins will continue until the demands are accepted,” JI said in a statement.
The government, seeking to avoid a confrontation, formed a three-member committee to negotiate with the party leadership.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the government was open to talks but urged protesters not to disrupt public life.
“We will listen to JI’s demands and try to incorporate them in the government’s existing reform agenda,” Tarar said.
The protests come as Pakistan grapples with soaring inflation, which has eroded the purchasing power of citizens and sparked widespread discontent. The government’s latest budget, which included additional taxes and tariffs, has further fueled the anger.
The Jamaat-e-Islami party is demanding a reduction in power tariffs and a review of agreements with independent power producers. The government has yet to respond to the demands.
The JI’s protests in Islamabad began in the evening and were soon met with arrests, the party claimed. The district administration had sealed the federal capital’s D-Chowk by placing containers on the nearby roads.
Protesters gathered at Express Chowk, chanting slogans against high electricity bills and inflation, video footage showed. Police detained several protesters and put them into police vans.
The JI chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said the party’s sit-in has commenced. “We have one demand from the government: provide relief to the public and shut down the IPPs,” Naeem said.
“We have come to provide relief to 250 million people. We have only one demand from the government — provide relief to the people.”
Naeem also demanded the release of the arrested JI members . “Protest is our right, the arrested workers should be released.”
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