• Naeem announces Jamaat will hold rally on Murree Road today; asks Punjab govt to release supporters, withdraw cases
• Naqvi discusses JI demands with Liaquat Baloch
• Jamaat leader says govt has formed four-member committee for talks

RAWALPINDI: As the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) warned the government that ‘fascist tactics and negotiations cannot go hand in hand’, its chief Hafiz Nae­emur Rehman reportedly said that participants of the sit-in at Liaquat Bagh in Rawal­pindi would march on Islam­abad if the authorities did not pay heed to their demands.

Initially, it had planned to stage a sit-in at D-Chowk in Islamabad, but after talks with the government, the JI agreed to hold the protest at Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi, where the demonstration entered its second day on Saturday.

Due to the protest, the residents of Rawalpindi living in localities along Murree Road faced troubles as the artery remained blocked from Marir Chowk to Committee Chowk. The miseries of commuters were further compounded due to the suspension of the metro bus service.

In a bid to find an amicable solution to the protest, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi contacted JI leader Liaquat Baloch on the telephone to discuss the JI’s demands to end the sit-in.

The JI leader urged the government to terminate its agreement for capacity payment in US dollars with the independent power producers (IPPs). He urged the federal government to withdraw the taxes imposed on the salaried class and abolish the petroleum levy as well as a recent increase in fuel prices.

The demands, however, swelled to ten on Saturday night. According to a set of demands shared by the JI, the political demanded a 50 per cent discount for the power consumers using 500 electricity units, a 20 per cent cut in prices of essential items, an end to levy on stationery items, 35 per cent reduction in non-development expenditure, review of agreements with the independent power producers (IPP), and end to unfair taxes on agriculture and industry.

It also asked the government to create a conducive environment in trade and industry to provide employment opportunities to the youth. The JI also demanded an end to taxes on the salaried class and asked the government to bring the affluent classes into the tax net.

Speaking to Dawn, Mr Bal­och said the government formed a four-member committee for talks with the JI that included ministers Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Attaullah Tarar, Amir Muqam, and Awais Laghari.

He said the JI would announce its negotiation team on Sunday as well as the time and place for the dialogue, adding that he, however, would also be a part of the committee. The JI leader said they had reservations about the government team, as, among other reasons, the power minister was not part of that even though one of their major demands was about the IPPs.

It may be noted that a day earlier, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar expressed the government’s willingness to hold talks with the JI and announced a three-member committee.

Speaking to party workers at the Liaquat Bagh in Rawal­pindi on Saturday morning, the JI chief announced that they would hold a public rally at Murree Road in Rawalpindi followed by a women’s gathering on Sunday.

The JI chief warned the government that fascist tactics and negotiations could not go hand in hand, and the sit-in could turn in any direction if demands were not met. He said that the forensic audit of IPPs should be conducted, unfair contracts should be terminated, and taxes on the salaried class should be abolished.

He also asked Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to release their remaining activists and withdraw the cases filed against them. He warned that the party had the option to expand their protest and sit-ins across the country if their dem­ands were not met. Comme­nting on the government’s offer for talks, the JI chief said, “We had some reservations on the names of government committees for the negotiations.”

Mr Rehman further said that their protest was driven by the need to regulate IPPs and had no personal motives. He emphasised that the sit-in would continue until the rights of 250 million people were secured.

Mr Rehman accused the rulers of creating anarchy and war­ned that if negotiations were not handled sincerely, electricity bills were not red­uced and salary slabs were not abolished, they would mount pressure on the government.

Meanwhile, a JI spokesman said that the Jamaat chief spent the night with the people participating in the sit-in, adding that a large number of participants continued to arrive in caravans from different parts of the country.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024