Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the government has contacted the party and expressed hope that a government team will visit Mansoora tomorrow for negotiations.
Addressing supporters, Hafiz Naeem said negotiations would take place, but the strike would also continue. He said sit-ins would remain in place until the party’s demands were accepted.
He said the situation had become unbearable and that the people could no longer remain silent. Responding to government claims that it was forced by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to impose taxes, he said Pakistan had alternatives and could escape the IMF’s economic trap.
Hafiz Naeem argued that significant savings could be achieved if government officials used vehicles with engines of up to 1,300cc. He also questioned why free electricity and fuel provided to ministers and senior officials could not be abolished.
He accused the government of failing to take meaningful steps to reduce petroleum expenses.
The JI leader also claimed that his party had exposed issues involving Independent Power Producers (IPPs). He said successful sit-ins against IPPs had helped reduce the electricity tariff by up to Rs16 per unit.
Hafiz Naeem said Jamaat-e-Islami would continue its campaign against IPPs and vowed to keep pursuing measures aimed at reducing electricity bills, adding that the party would work to have electricity bills cut by half.
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