LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Sirajul Haq has announced protest rallies against inflation, demanding subsidies on essential items in the budget.

During a press conference held in Lahore, he expressed doubt about the continuation of dialogue among political parties on elections after the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

Haq stated that the anti-inflation movement would start in Lahore on May 21, and JI workers would hold protest demonstrations in Peshawar on May 24. The detailed schedule for countrywide rallies would be issued in the next couple of days, he added.

He demanded that the government announce a Rs100 per liter cut in petrol prices and a 50pc decrease in medicine prices. He also urged the government not to fill top vacancies with retired officers from military or civil bureaucracy, but rather to induct fresh blood to serve the country. Furthermore, he emphasised that the government should cut all non-development expenditures, discourage the VIP protocol culture, and bring back the money stashed in foreign accounts.

The JI chief condemned the violence and torture of party workers during the Karachi by-election for local bodies, holding the PPP responsible for bringing hooligans from outside of Karachi to polling stations.

He said the Election Commission of Pakistan failed to fulfill its responsibility to hold free and peaceful elections, and he also questioned why those elements who were involved in violence during the polling process had not been arrested.

He vowed to defend the JI mandate and criticised the PPP for not accepting the people’s mandate. He said such tactics in the past caused the derailment of democracy, leading to irreparable losses for the country.

Mr Haq thanked the people of Karachi for putting their trust in JI and congratulated the JI team on their success.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2023