RAWALPINDI: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Naeemur Rehman said on Monday that the sit-in that was held at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi was the first stage of their movement. The religio-political party would then launch the second phase of their movement, which would center on “changing the system,” once their demands regarding inflation and inflated power bills were accepted.
The JI leader was speaking to those taking part in the sit-in and the women-led protest that the party has organized on Murree Road in Rawalpindi, where the sit-in has been ongoing for the past four days in rain or sun.
Fearing that the August electricity bills would be even more inflated than the July bills, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman issued a warning, saying the JI would consider not paying them after consulting with traders, industrialists, and civil society.
“Send us money, not bombs. Mr. Rehman reaffirmed, “We want to pay the bills for the electricity that we consumed and we won’t pay more taxes.
In addition, he announced that the party would organize protests in other province capitals and that starting on Wednesday, members would launch a sit-in outside the Governor House in Karachi. The leader of JI declared that the sit-in at Rawalpindi will go on till their demands were fulfilled.
Regarding the requests, he stated that they included lower electricity costs, the removal of the gasoline levy, affordable food, and levies on importers and exporters.
He threatened, “If you don’t accept the demands, the protests will spread across the nation and the government will face challenges.”
He claimed that the independent power plants (IPPs) were draining the public coffers and that a forensic investigation of these contracts was desperately needed. “The ministers misled the public into believing that if the government ended the agreement, IPPs would take their case to an international court. The majority of them are charged for using foreign coal as fuel, but they run their power plants with sugarcane waste, he claimed.
He added that people could not afford to pay their bills. “Someones sold their jewelry to cover their July costs, but how are they going to pay for August and September bills? He said, “The ministers have ignored the problem and are preoccupied with living opulent lives while receiving free gasoline and electricity.” According to Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, although making up half of the population, women’s rights were unprotected.
Women have the right to an education, but they often lack the opportunities to pursue higher education, particularly in rural areas. Because educated women and men will speak out for their rights, landlords and the upper class oppose improved education in their communities, he said. He commended the JI women’s wing for their efforts and asked them to participate in the political party because raising public awareness was important.
The JI leader also blasted the Punjab government for wanting to turn over up to 13,000 schools to the private sector, saying the state ought to be in charge of providing high-quality education rather than depending on non-governmental organizations. “We support a single curriculum for all students in both the public and private sectors of education,” he declared.
