ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani religious political party warned the government on Thursday it would expand its sit-in protest from Rawalpindi to other cities if their demands are not accepted within two days.
Hundreds of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party supporters have been staging a sit-in protest at Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh since July 26 against the rising cost of living and additional taxes imposed by the government in the latest budget.
Led by party chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, the JI has demanded the government reduce power tariffs amid soaring inflation and review Pakistan’s existing agreements with independent power producers (IPPs).
A three-member committee formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif comprising Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, ruling party members Amir Muqam and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry have held two rounds of talks with protesters this week but a deadlock persists.
“We have had two rounds of talks with the government committee, but no agreement has been reached yet,” Aamir Baloch, a JI spokesperson, told Arab News. “If our demands are not met in the next two days, then we will decide to spread our dharna to other cities.”
Baloch said the party was planning to stage sit-in protests in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta in the next phase to mount pressure on the government to accept its demands to decrease power bills and withdraw additional taxes on the salaried class.
He said the party’s negotiating team, led by Liaqat Baloch, held talks with the government’s technical committee on Wednesday in the office of the Rawalpindi commissioner. He said the JI had placed all their “genuine demands” before the committee.
“We have been waiting to hear back from the government,” Baloch said.
Arab News contacted Tarar for a comment regarding the JI’s statement but did not get a response till the filing of this report.
Meanwhile, Punjab police have beefed up security around the sit-in protest in Rawalpindi to protect protesters from any untoward incident.
Protesters include women and children while the party leadership, including Rehman, speak to their supporters at the venue daily after the Isha night prayers.
Pakistani religious political party threatens to expand protests if demands aren’t accepted
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Pakistani religious political party threatens to expand protests if demands aren’t accepted
- Hundreds of Jamaat-e-Islami supporters are staging a sit-in protest at Rawalpindi’s Liaqat Bagh against rising cost of living, additional taxes
- JI gives government two days to accept its demands, failing which it vows to launch protests in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta
Pakistan opposition rallies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand release of Imran Khan
- PTI-led gathering calls the former PM a national hero and demands the release of all political prisoners
- Government says the opposition failed to draw a large crowd and accuses PTI of damaging its own politics
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party demanded the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan at a rally in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, describing him as a national hero who continues to command public support.
The gathering came days after a rare and strongly worded briefing by the military’s media chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who dismissed Khan as “narcissistic” and “mentally ill” on Friday while responding to the former premier’s allegations that Pakistan’s chief of defense forces was responsible for undermining the constitution and rule of law.
He said that Khan was promoting an anti-state narrative which had become a national security threat.
The participants of the rally called for “civilian supremacy” and said elected representatives should be treated with respect.
“We, the people of Pakistan, regard Imran Khan as a national hero and the country’s genuinely elected prime minister, chosen by the public in the February 8, 2024 vote,” said a resolution presented at the rally in Peshawar. “We categorically reject and strongly condemn the notion that he or his colleagues pose any kind of threat to national security.”
“We demand immediate justice for Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and all political prisoners, and call for their prompt release,” it added, referring to Khan’s wife who is also in prison. “No restrictions should be placed on Imran Khan’s meetings with his family, lawyers or political associates.”
Addressing the gathering, Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, denied his administration was not serious about security issues amid increased militant activity. However, he maintained the people of his province had endured the worst of Pakistan’s conflict with militancy and urged a rethinking of long-running security policies.
The resolution asked the federal government to restore bilateral trade and diplomatic channels with Afghanistan, saying improved cross-border ties were essential for the economic stability of the region.
The trade between the two neighbors has suffered as Pakistan accuses the Taliban administration in Kabul of sheltering and facilitating armed groups that it says launch cross-border attacks to target its civilians and security forces. Afghan officials deny the claim.
The two countries have also had deadly border clashes in recent months that have killed dozens of people on both sides.
Some participants of the rally emphasized the restoration of democratic freedoms, judicial independence and space for political reconciliation, calling them necessary to stabilize the country after years of political confrontation.
Reacting to the opposition rally, Information Minister Attaullah Tarrar said the PTI and its allies could not gather enough people.
“In trying to build an anti-army narrative, they have ruined their own politics,” he said, adding that the rally’s reaction to the military’s media chief’s statement reflected “how deeply it had stung.”
“There was neither any argument nor any real response,” he added, referring to what was said by the participants of the rally.
