RAWALPINDI: Jamaat-e-Islami has announced plans to march towards Murree Road today, protesting against inflation and the escalating cost of electricity.
The party has been staging a sit-in in Rawalpindi for approximately two weeks, demanding revisions to tax rates, renegotiations with independent power producers (IPPs), and reductions in electricity and fuel prices to alleviate the burden on the public.
Despite holding four rounds of confidential talks with the government, no significant resolution has been reached. JI Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch stated that the sit-in aims to provide relief to the public and emphasized that the march will proceed at 6 p.m. today. He added that any progress from the ongoing negotiations would be communicated to the media.
The JI’s demands have been reviewed by a government committee, with feedback received, but a concrete solution remains elusive. The party’s delegation, led by Baloch and including Secretary General Ameerul Azeem and JI Islamabad Emir Nasarullah Randhawa, has submitted a detailed position to the government. Baloch criticized the government’s agreements with IPPs, attributing the rise in electricity costs to these deals and calling for their revision and a thorough investigation.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar reported some progress in addressing JI’s demands and confirmed that further discussions are planned for Thursday.
He noted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is committed to reducing electricity prices and revising IPP agreements, with a task force already working on these issues. Tarar also assured that the government would facilitate JI’s march towards Islamabad and confirmed the release of JI workers previously arrested in Sialkot.
The ongoing negotiations and today’s march highlight the tense and dynamic nature of the current political and economic climate in Pakistan.
