ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani religious political party chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has announced the extension of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) ongoing anti-inflation protest, planning nationwide demonstrations against inflation and the government’s agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) which have led to soaring electricity bills.
Speaking at a sit-in on Rawalpindi’s Murree Road, Hafiz Naeem said that the party will first stage a sit-in in front of Karachi’s Governor House. This will be followed by protest rallies in the main cities of Punjab province- Lahore and Multan.
The announcement follows Hafiz Naeem’s warning on Saturday that if the government did not address the party’s demands, the sit-in would be expanded to other regions of the country. The protest sit-in has now entered its fifth day, with government representatives missing a scheduled negotiation session on Monday.
On Sunday, a three-member government delegation, including Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Amir Muqam, and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, met with JI’s negotiation committee, led by Liaquat Baloch, at the Rawalpindi commissioner’s office to discuss potential solutions.
Jamaat-e-Islami has presented ten conditions for ending its protest, which primarily focuses on renegotiating agreements with IPPs and addressing the sharp increase in electricity tariffs and taxes.
