KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Friday threatened the government with a ‘long march’ after Eid against hiked electricity tariff, inflation and bad governance.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Idara Noor-i-Haq, the JI chief demanded that the government provide immediate relief to the people by reducing high energy prices.

He also criticised the government for passing the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2025, and indiscriminate expenditure of taxpayers’ money on advertisements and publicity through the media.

“Any attempt to gag the voice of dissent by the government would backfire,” he said.

Talking about the renewed agitation, he said that the JI might appeal people to hold sit-ins at important arteries across the country in the first phase while in the second and third phase, the party might cordon off the governor and chief minister houses across the country respectively, whereas in the final segment — the party might call for a long march in the country. All the options are open and under consideration, he said.

He also addressed the issues being faced by the students enrolled with the Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi, (BIEK) and other educational boards.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2025