- Government’s First Formal Contact: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has made the first formal contact with Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) to hold “serious talks” with them, discussing their demands as they continue their demonstration against soaring inflation and exorbitant electricity bills .
- JI’s Demands: JI Vice Emir Liaquat Baloch underscored the party’s demands, including:
- Abolishment of the “slab system” in electricity bills
- 50% reduction in electricity bills for people using 500 units of electricity
- Termination of the capacity payment agreement with independent power producers (IPPs)
- Withdrawal of taxes imposed on the salaried class
- Abolishment of the petroleum levy and reversal of the recent hike in fuel prices
- Protest Update: JI continues to hold a sit-in at Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh, with various city arteries blocked, causing widespread traffic disruptions . The police have stressed that they will not allow JI to protest in Islamabad without permission .
- JI’s Stance on Negotiations: JI Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman stated that “fascism and talks cannot go hand in hand” and expressed reservations about the names proposed by the government for negotiations . He announced that Liaquat Baloch would lead the talks and that JI’s negotiation committee would be announced once the government addresses their reservations .
#Jamaat_e-Islami #SitInProtest #Rawalpindi #Inflation #ElectricityBills #Pakistan #Politics
