ISLAMABAD: Ameer of JI Ameer Hafiz Naeem has criticized government negotiators, stating they have failed to address their concerns.
Speaking to the media, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman asserted that the government should focus on addressing the cost of electricity rather than imposing additional taxes. “The public is paying for the government’s contractual obligations,” he said.
He demanded transparency from the government, requesting access to agreements with Independent Power Producers (IPPs). “We refuse to bear the consequences of the government’s failures,” he added. Hafiz Naeem called for government officials to forfeit their luxuries, including free petrol and electricity.
He criticized the government’s decision to increase administrative expenses by 25 percent while the salaried class, which has already paid billions in taxes, continues to be overburdened. “Taxes are not being levied on the feudal elite, who exploit farmers and create artificial sugar shortages to profit,” he said.
Hafiz Naeem noted that those in power have been in office since 1994, the same year IPPs were introduced. He demanded that local IPP contracts be canceled following a forensic audit.
He also accused the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) of significant corruption, estimating it at around 1,000 billion. Hafiz Naeem suggested that government officials should be restricted to cars with no more than 1300 CC engines and questioned why they are unwilling to surrender their larger vehicles.
“Our sit-ins will persist, and we will hold protests across Pakistan,” he warned. “If there is no progress, we will escalate our actions, blocking highways and staging extended protests. We will encourage people to bring their power bills to the protests, rather than boycotting electricity payments.”
Hafiz Naeem concluded by stating that the government has been informed of their demands and that a meeting with the technical team is expected to take place the following day.
