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 says responding to Afghan ‘offensive operations’ after border fire as tensions escalate
- Afghan Taliban spokesperson says “large-scale offensive operations” launched against Pakistani military bases
- Pakistan says Afghan forces opened “unprovoked” fire across multiple sectors along shared border
ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities said on Thursday they had launched “large-scale offensive operations” against Pakistani military bases and installations, prompting Pakistan to say its forces were responding to what it described as unprovoked fire along the shared border.
The escalation follows Islamabad’s weekend airstrikes targeting what it said were Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh militant camps inside Afghanistan in response to a wave of recent bombings and attacks in Pakistan. Islamabad said the strikes killed over 100 militants, while Kabul said dozens of civilians were killed and condemned the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty.
In a post on social media platform X, Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan had launched “large-scale offensive operations” in response to repeated violations by the Pakistani military.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said Afghan forces had initiated hostilities along multiple points of the frontier.
“Afghan Taliban regime unprovoked action along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border given an immediate, and effective response,” the ministry said in a statement.
The statement said Pakistani forces were targeting Taliban positions in the Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur sectors, claiming heavy Afghan casualties and the destruction of multiple posts and equipment. It added that Pakistan would take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial integrity and the security of its citizens.
Separately, security officials said Pakistani forces had carried out counterattacks in several border sectors.
“Pakistan’s security forces are giving a befitting reply to the unprovoked Afghan aggression with full force,” a security official said, declining to be named.
“The Pakistani security forces’ counter-attack destroyed Taliban’s hideouts and the Khawarij fled,” they added, referring to TTP militants.
The claims from both sides could not be independently verified.
Cross-border violence has intensified in recent weeks, with Pakistan blaming a surge in suicide bombings and militant attacks on militants it says are based in Afghanistan. Kabul denies providing safe havens to anti-Pakistan militant groups.
The clashes mark the third major escalation between the neighbors in less than a year. Similar Pakistani strikes last year triggered weeklong clashes before Qatar, Türkiye and other regional actors mediated a ceasefire in October.
The 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) frontier, a key trade and transit corridor linking Pakistan to landlocked Afghanistan and onward to Central Asia, has faced repeated closures amid tensions, disrupting commerce and humanitarian movement. Trade between the two nations has remained closed since October 2025.
