ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq has given a call for launching a nationwide protest campaign from Aug 12 against the recent rise in power tariffs.

Besides this, the JI has also decided to challenge the government’s decision to collect various taxes from the people through the electricity bills in the court.

This was stated by JI spokesman Shahid Shamsi while talking to Dawn here on Sunday.

The JI spokesman regretted that the government was collecting nine types of taxes from the people through the electricity bills and termed it a cruelty. He said the party would soon announce the strategy for the protest.

Meanwhile, talking to the party activists and members at the party’s headquarters at Mansoora, JI chief Sirajul Haq said that his party would play the role of the real opposition in the country was ready to fight for the people’s rights. He alleged that all the rulers in the past had acquired power through “selection”, instead of election.

The JI chief said the people were unable to pay their electricity bills and they had to pay half of their salaries to pay the utility bills.

Without naming, Mr Haq alleged that the country’s three major parties were the products of “establishment” and were busy in sucking the blood of the people by playing the in hands of mafias.

The JI chief regretted that all major decisions were being currently made at the dictation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the parliament had been made redundant. He said there was no democracy in the country and few families were controlling the affairs of the government. Despite paying taxes, he said, the people were not getting even basic facilities like health, education and drinking water.

Mr Haq also criticised the judicial system, alleging that the people were not getting justice from the courts. He said even judges had admitted that common people were not getting justice in the country.-

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2022