Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman declared on Thursday that the party’s ongoing sit-in outside Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi will not be called off solely based on assurances from government ministers.
Addressing reporters, Hafiz Naeem said that the issue of independent power producers (IPPs) must be fully resolved, and mere promises from the government will not suffice. He questioned the government’s intentions, pointing out that if their demands were already on the agenda, then what was preventing them from being accepted.
The JI leader cautioned the government to be aware that the current sit-in was peaceful only because the party was exercising restraint. “This is because we are keeping the situation under control,” he warned.
Expressing concerns about the salaried class, Hafiz Naeem expressed his bewilderment at how they would manage to pay additional taxes.
Hafiz Naeem convened an emergency meeting of the party’s executive committee to discuss the progress of talks with the government. The meeting aimed to explore ways to mount further pressure on the government to accept their demands and mull over the future course of action if negotiations fail to yield the desired results.
Additionally, the party leaders discussed feedback from transporters and traders regarding the strike and considered the possibility of holding sit-ins in Lahore, Peshawar, and Karachi.
Reiterating the party’s commitment, JI Spokesman Qaiser Sharif stated, “We are fighting for the rights of 250 million people of Pakistan.” He asserted that the sit-ins would continue until the government provides relief to the masses.
