Jamat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has announced holding nationwide protests against inflation and the government’s agreements with independent power producers (IPPs), which have led to outrageous electricity bills, in continuation of the party’s continuous protest.
Hafiz Naeem announced during the sit-in on Rawalpindi’s Murree Road that the party would initially stage a sit-in in front of the governor house in Karachi, with protests to follow in Lahore and Multan.
The declaration follows the JI chief’s threat on Saturday to take the sit-in over the nation’s exorbitant electricity costs and excessive taxes to other regions if the government did not accede to his party’s demands.
Today marks the fifth day of the party’s sit-in, which began on Monday when the government team failed to show up for the second round.
At the Rawalpindi commissioner’s office on Sunday, a three-person delegation led by Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Amir Muqam, and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar met with the JI negotiation committee, which is chaired by Liaquat Baloch, to discuss potential next steps.
The political-religious party has proposed ten demands for the termination of its protest sit-in against inflation, which included a significant increase in electricity rates. These demands include renegotiation of agreements with IPPs.
