JI sit-ins represent 250m Pakistanis, says Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman

JI sit-ins represent 250m Pakistanis, says Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman

LAHORE, Aug 29: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman on Saturday said the ongoing sit-ins across all four provinces represented the sentiments of 250 million Pakistanis, vowing to continue the movement against government’s indifference to public grievances.
Addressing a press conference on the 14th day of the JI sit-in outside the Punjab Chief Minister’s House in Lahore, he invited opposition parties to join the protest movement and reiterated the call for a nationwide shutter-down strike on September 3.
He said pressure was building for a wheel-jam strike alongside the shutter-down, adding that he would make an important announcement in this regard while addressing the sit-in later Saturday night.
Rehman said the protest movement against the petroleum levy, Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and inflation had expanded beyond Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar to Quetta, Chitral and parts of interior Sindh.
He said a public gathering would be held in Rawalpindi on Sunday, followed by major rallies in Peshawar and Karachi, while a call for a long march to Islamabad would also be given soon.
“The scope of the movement has now expanded nationwide,” he said, adding that protest camps were being established across the country and the JI was prepared for prolonged sit-ins.
He also appealed to young people to participate actively in the movement.
Criticising the PML-N, PPP and MQM, the JI chief said the three parties had been rejected by the people and added that their incompetence was responsible for the deaths of 14 children at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
“An investigation and one resignation are not enough to resolve the PIMS tragedy,” he said, demanding that the government explain why such incidents continued to occur.
He said children across the country were struggling to meet their nutritional needs and accused an entrenched political class of preventing reforms in the system.
“This same class, in the form of the PDM, brought down the PTI government. When will they apologise to the nation for that?” he asked.
The JI Emir said the only way to get rid of the imposed ruling class was through constitutional and democratic struggle.
On petrol prices, he rejected the government’s justification that international market conditions were responsible for repeated price increases, saying global oil prices had been declining over the past few days.
He said the government was deliberately shifting the burden of inflation onto ordinary citizens while spending lavishly itself.
He described the petroleum levy as a “bhatta tax” imposed on the poor, saying that citizens were paying around Rs130 per litre in taxes on petrol, including the levy.
“On one hand, the people are being looted, while on the other, the federal government’s own expenditure has reached Rs1 trillion,” he said, adding that rulers were using expensive vehicles at public expense.
He also criticised Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for purchasing a plane reportedly costing Rs11 billion.
Turning to the power crisis, the JI emir questioned the imposition of fixed charges on electricity bills, saying they had no direct connection with the actual cost of electricity.
Citing government figures, he said Pakistan had more than 49,500 megawatts of electricity generation capacity, while current demand was not more than 22,000MW.
“Then how has a power shortfall emerged when generation capacity is far greater than demand?” he asked.
He said nearly half of the country’s electricity generation depended on fuel and added that successive governments were benefiting IPPs while failing to improve transmission lines.
Rehman said JI was a peaceful party representing ordinary citizens, with its workers earning their livelihoods while also participating in protests.
He urged opposition parties to support the JI on public issues and warned the government against underestimating the ongoing movement.
“The rulers should take the people’s protest seriously,” he said. “If anyone is eager to try to silence or remove us, let them try. This movement will not stop.”
Acting JI Secretary General Nazir Ahmad Janjua, JI Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari and JI North Punjab Emir Dr Tariq Saleem were also present at the press conference.