LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has issued a stern warning to the government, urging it to provide relief to the people or be ready to face a movement.
According to the media cell of JI at Mansoora, while addressing a public gathering in Chitral on Wednesday, he said the government violated the Rawalpindi agreement, adding the JI now feels free to take independent decisions, with public support.
He warned the Shehbaz Sharif-led government to reduce power tariffs and eliminate unjust taxes, including the agreements with Independent Power Producers (IPPs). Failing to do so, he said, would result in uncontrollable public anger, and the movement could escalate from demanding relief to forcing the government out of power. He added that the people are no longer willing to bear the burden of the ruling elite’s extravagant lifestyle, funded by state resources.
Rehman went on to say that a small ruling elite comprising feudal lords, imperialists, and the civil and military establishment has monopolized the country’s resources for decades, depriving the masses of basic amenities. He stressed that this systemic injustice and exploitation can no longer continue, as the people are at their breaking point.
The JI leader said that his party is observing the current week in solidarity with the people of Palestine and Lebanon and would decide its course of action after October 7. Options are being considered for a long march on Islamabad or countrywide strikes to compel the government to act, he said. Additionally, he said that the JI plans to hold a referendum on October 23 to gauge public opinion on boycotting electricity bills. If the majority supports the boycott, the JI will officially announce it the following month.
Rehman urged the public to join the JI in its struggle against the corrupt mafias and warned the government not to stand in the way of the people’s anger, which could sweep away everything in its path. He also condemned the silence of Muslim rulers in the face of Israeli atrocities in Gaza, calling on the people to stand in solidarity with Gaza and to pressure the rulers into breaking their silence on this injustice.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024