JI accepts govt offer, constitutes committee for dialogues
Pakistan
The dialogues were offered by Information Minister Ataullah Tarar who visited the protest camp
RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) – The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has accepted the offer of the federal government and constituted a four-member committee led by Liaquat Baloch to negotiate on its demands.
The dialogues were offered by Federal Minister for Information Ataullah Tarar who visited the protest camp set up by the JI along with MNA Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and others.
The JI has been staging a sit-in protest at Murree Road in Rawalpindi against inflation, heavy taxes on electricity and contracts with the IPPS for the last three days.
According to a JI spokesperson, the government delegation urged the party to call off the sit-in immediately which the leadership rejected. However, the invitation for talks was accepted, he added.
JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman formed a four-member committee led by Liaquat Baloch and including Ameerul Azeem, Farasat Shah, and Nasrullah Randhawa, for negotiations, he continued.
The first round of negotiation between the government and the JI will be held today (Sunday).
Meanwhile, the Jamaat demanded that the government should take step to alleviate suffering of the poor people.
Demands of Jamaat-e-Islami
• Reduction in the cost of bills up to 500 units by 50 per cent
• Removal the petroleum development levy
• Reversing the latest hike in petrol prices
• 20 percent reduction in cost of everyday items
• 35 percent cut in non-development expenditures
• Termination of contracts to make capacity payments to IPPs
• Reduction in taxes on agriculture and industry by 50 percent
• Reversing the taxes on salaried class
• Tax collection from privileged class
HAFIZ NAEEM CALLS GOVT RUBER STAMP
Addressing the participants of sit-in, Hafiz Naeem said that if the parliament does not work and has become a rubber stamp, there is no other way than peaceful political struggle.
He said that nobody wants to leave his house and sit on roads. The JI protest is according to the constitution and law.
“We are protesting so that our voices are heard. The life of the poor had been made miserable,” he added.
He challenged the government to run a house in Rs37,000, the minimum wage the incumbent government has fixed. He is being forced to rob others to pay electricity bills, he continued.
“Farmers are in bad shape [due to inflation and high cost of inputs]. Capitalists are deciding the fate of the common man and making decisions that are in their favour.”
Hafiz Naeem said that electricity bills are the problem of the whole nation.
He said that there was no need to protest had the government had accepted our demands. But now the JI would not spare the government till the rights of 250 million people are given, he added.
The Jamaat leader said that the government must release all our workers before the negotiations that are scheduled for today.
He appealed to every section of society to join the movement against inflation and injustice.
Also read: Hafiz Naeem asks govt to release JI workers or face consequences
Jamat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said on Saturday the sit-in might take an ugly turn if the government failed to do away with fascism.
