LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Wednesday demanded the government to reduce electricity tariffs, abolish the slab system in billing and review agreements with the Independent Power Producers (IPPs), to provide relief to the inflation-hit people of the country.

Talking to the media after addressing a JI camp in Ichhra, he said the party was going to stage a protest sit-in at Islamabad on July 12, and would not end it till these demands are met.

The JI has organised nationwide camps for mobilising the public for participation in its sit-in at the federal capital.

Rehman said the government had begun making announcements about providing relief to the public even before the JI sit-in started. However, he emphasized that the public would not trust these announcements until they experience actual relief.

He said the rulers were in a habit of making false claims and spending millions on advertisements [about their projects] without addressing public concerns.

He cited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s frequent promises to end loadshedding and PML-N election slogan of providing “free electricity” up to 200 units, saying these leaders always deceived the public.

He added the rulers made an “anti-public” budget under IMF pressure, resulting in no relief for the people.

He further criticised the PML-N, alleging that whenever the party came into power, its leadership prioritised their own business interests under the guise of mega projects.

Rehman argued that instead of providing solar panels to people, the government should focus on delivering direct relief to the people. He also targeted President Asif Ali Zardari, labeling him as a “representative of the feudal class” which evade taxes.

He said the rulers were attempting to control the younger generation by restricting social media and freedom of speech.

He also criticised the government’s decision to allow the intelligence agencies to tap people’s phones, terming it a violation of their basic rights. “What justice is there in institutions interfering with an individual’s privacy?” he asked, adding the government must avoid “destroying the Constitution”. He wondered that this permission was granted by those who claimed to be “champions of democracy”.

He said that the JI was striving to liberate the country from these so-called democratic champions and “agents of imperialistic forces”.

“The JI sit-in in Islamabad on July 12 is for the rights of the people, against inflation, and unjust taxes imposed in the recent budget,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2024