RAWALPINDI: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Friday said his party had a written agreement with the government on public demands and would keep an eye on the government to provide relief to the masses.

Addressing a public meeting at the end of a 14-day-long sit-in in the garrison city, he said JI would challenge the tax system as people had to pay interests on International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans taken for the last many years. He said the government should reduce its expenditures and end the luxurious lifestyle of ministers and bureaucrats.

He said the government was acting on the dictation of the IMF to impose taxes on the masses and had failed to carry out proper work to reduce the expenditures.

He said the result of the sit-in was positive as people were aware of the looting and fraud by Independent Power Producers (IPPs) which would end soon. He said electricity tariffs would be reduced in one month.

“We would launch a membership campaign across the country.” He appreciated the JI workers and supporters for attending the sit-in despite the rain.

Insists payment of power bills delayed for 15 days on our pressure

Liaquat Baloch, JI naib emir, said the workers and supporters made the sit-in successful while bearing the hot weather and heavy rains in the last 14 days.

“We ended dharna but our movement will continue till people will get relief from inflation, high taxes and electricity bills in one and a half months,” he said.

He said the JI would monitor the government in implementing the agreement. He said, “We would come back to Islamabad if people did not get any relief.”

Earlier in the morning, addressing a press conference at the residence of Mian Aslam, the JI emir congratulated Arshad Nadeem for winning the Olympics gold medal and setting a record.

Mr Rehman said for the first time in history the government was ready to implement taxes on landlords and revise IPP agreements. He said that the rulers would be forced to reduce their expenditures and use 1,300cc vehicles.

He said the government and its ministers were bound to implement the agreement and we will not let them run away under any circumstances. Talking about the agreement, he said that taxes on the salaried class would be reduced in every possible way. Revenue will be increased and the fiscal base will be enhanced. The tax rate on the salaried persons will be brought down.

He said the government had accepted the demand of JI that electricity bills should be reduced in any case. “The per unit cost and taxes levied on it are a huge burden on the consumers. The government explained that this is a compulsion, but it is definitely taking steps to reduce the per unit price of electricity in the next one and a half months,” he said.

He said that an effective system of income tax on landlords and large landholders would be established by establishing a mechanism with the provincial governments.

Unfair system and apprehensions arising from the implementation of the “Trader Friendly Scheme” will be eliminated. The tax system on traders will be made easy and accessible. He said that a committee consisting of government, exporters and traders would be immediately notified to resolve the problems of traders and exporters. This committee will complete its work within one month.

He said that the prime minister and the federal government were serious about the issue of IPPs. The government has decided that a full review will be done to revise the contracts of IPPs. “Payment of electricity bills for the month of August is being delayed for 15 days to facilitate the consumers on the pressure of JI,” he claimed.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2024