JI Emir warns Punjab govt over employees’ demands, threatens province-wide protests

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JI Emir warns Punjab govt over employees’ demands, threatens province-wide protests

Lahore, Feb 17: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has warned the Punjab government that failure to accept the legitimate demands of government employees will result in an expansion of protests across the province.
Addressing a sit-in outside the Civil Secretariat Lahore, where government employees have staged a protest camp, he expressed full solidarity with the demonstrators and assured them of his party’s complete support.
Rehman urged the Punjab government to immediately form an empowered committee comprising provincial ministers to hold negotiations with the protesting employees. He further demanded that arrangements be made for a delegation of employees to meet the Chief Minister of Punjab and that agreements reached in previous meetings be honored.
The JI chief criticized the provincial administration, saying that those in power were portraying Punjab as a prosperous province while, in reality, government employees were facing unjust treatment.
He said that benefits such as leave encashment, pensions, and other allowances were being curtailed, terming the move gross injustice. He made it clear that any deduction in pensions would be unacceptable.
Rehma also criticized major political parties, stating that they function as family enterprises rather than representative political organizations, and claimed they were disconnected from public issues.
Questioning the performance of the provincial government, he asked why more than 10 million children in Punjab remain out of school and why underage children are forced into labor. He said the government is shifting its responsibilities by handing over public institutions to the private sector, adding that running basic health centers is a core duty of the state.
He further said that the education system has deteriorated, creating separate standards for the rich and the poor. Referring to the government as one that came to power through Form 47, he said its claims of good governance had failed to satisfy both the public and state employees.
“The sit-in is evidence of the Punjab government’s complete failure,” he added.
Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman emphasized that the issue was not limited to government employees but concerned every worker in the province. He pledged that Jamaat-e-Islami would continue to stand alongside the protesters in their ongoing movement.
He also highlighted farmers’ grievances, saying that after fixing the wheat price, the government halted procurement. He said that wheat had been purchased from farmers at Rs2,100 per maund and sold at Rs6,000 per maund, calling it open exploitation.
The JI chief demanded immediate negotiations to resolve the matter. He warned that if any action was taken against the protesters, his party would stand shoulder to shoulder with government employees.