RAWALPINDI: The government has initiated formal negotiations with Jamaat-e-Islami to undertake “serious talks” while the party persists in its sit-in at Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh.
JI Vice Emir Liaquat Baloch and Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi spoke over the phone about the party’s demands as it continues to protest rising inflation and excessive electricity costs.
The party announced on Friday that at least 1,150 of its employees had been detained while attempting to march through Islamabad following the implementation of Section 144 by the government in Punjab and the federal capital.
Baloch, however, confirmed that the party workers and activists were released later that day.
Following that, JI organized a sit-in in Rawalpindi and vowed to carry on its protest.Additionally, a number of the city’s arteries remained blocked, causing major traffic jams throughout the area. The police made it clear that they would not permit JI to protest in Islamabad without authorization.
The JI vice emir met with Naqvi and emphasized the party’s demand to remove the “slab system” from electricity bills, which sets different rates for users based on their usage. He also called for a 50% reduction in the electricity bills of those who use 500 units of electricity.
Baloch called on the Center to remove the levies levied on the salaried class and urged the government to stop its deal with independent power producers (IPPs) for capacity payment in US dollars.
