• Both sides sit down for third round of negotiations after five-day hiatus
• Tarar hopes issue will be resolved soon after ‘positive talks’
• Hafiz Naeem unveils plan for protests from tomorrow, nationwide strike after Aug 14

RAWALPINDI: The government and the Jamaat-i-Islami held a third round of talks late on Tuesday night, where it was decided that the former will respond to protesters’ demands in writing on Wednesday (today), after which the JI chief will decide the fate of the sit-in.

Earlier, JI emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman unveiled his plan for a series of protests starting from tomorrow and a nationwide shutter-down strike after Aug 14.

Talks between Jamaat-i-Islami and the government resumed on Tuesday, after a gap of five days.

The JI delegation was led by party’s Vice President Liaquat Baloch. The government’s side was led by Interior Min­i­ster Mohsin Naqvi and other members were Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Energy Minister Awais Leghari, Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Maq­am, and PML-N leader Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.

After the meeting, Mr Baloch said his party wanted relief for the people suffering from heavy taxes and inflated electricity bills. “If the ruling elite fails to understand citizens’ problems, they will have no option but to turn to the streets,” he said.

Mr Tarar said talks between the two sides have been positive and another round would be held on Wednesday (today). He hoped that the issue would be resolved soon.

Earlier in the day, Mr Rehman outlined a series of protests during a press conference at a sit-in site at Liaquat Bagh. He said the protests would start with a march on Murree Road from Liaquat Bagh to Rehmanabad on Aug 8 (tomorrow), followed by a significant demonstration outside the Punjab Chief Minister’s House in Lahore on Aug 11 and another in Peshawar on Aug 12.

Talking about the Aug 8 march, the JI chief emphasised the party’s commitment to maintaining peace. “Many people are involved in spreading anarchy, but we will thwart their plans,” he said. “This will be a peaceful march. It is our right to rally for our demands. I will share further details about the march tomorrow (Wednesday).”

Mr Rehman highlighted the ongoing sit-in and negotiations with the government, stressing that it was the demand of the people to eliminate taxes and reduce electricity bills. He also called for the termination or review of certain agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) and a forensic audit of all such agreements.

In response to a question, the Jamaat chief clarified that toppling the government was not currently on their agenda but stressed that it could become necessary depending on the government’s actions.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2024