GUJRAT: The Rawalpindi sit-in by Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) against the inflated power bills and unprecedented taxes may prolong even for a month if the federal government did not accept the demands of the party to reduce the electricity tariff and ratio of taxes.

This was warned by Punjab (north) JI emir Dr Tariq Saleem while speaking to a news conference at Islamic Centre along with local JI leaders Ansar Mehmood Dhool advocate, Chaudhry Imran Anwar and others here on Friday.

Mr Saleem said the government should show seriousness in talks with the JI committee as the sit-in could be converted into a nationwide agitation with the support of the masses who were at the receiving end due to the wrong policies and contracts with the independent power producers (IPPs).

The JI leader said the party had already made up its mind to expand the agitation and its workers were fully charged to respond to their chief’s call to extend the sit-in in Rawalpindi launched on July 26.

Tariq Saleem said the agreements with the IPPs owned by Pakistani businessmen could be reviewed as most of these owners were closely associated with the ruling and opposition parties whereas the Chinese companies might also be asked to give some space in this regard. Otherwise, he said, the people would no longer be in a position to pay the power bills as incidents of committing suicides and murders related to the inflated bills had started to happen across the country, which was alarming. He advised the government to reduce the expenditures and share the burden of the common men through austerity measures.

Earlier, hundreds of the people participated in the funeral prayers in absentia of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh held at Qurtaba Masjid, GT Road. Dr Saleeem led the funeral prayers. Later, the participants chanted slogans against the Israeli aggression in Gaza and expressed solidarity with the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Gujrat JI emir Ansar Mehmood Dhool said the drainage and sewerage of Gujrat city failed to drain out the rainwater which was flooding the roads even 48 hours after the rain.

Talking to reporters at the presser, he said the JI would raise the issue at every forum as the ruling parties had failed to resolve the city’s chronic drainage issue.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2024