KARACHI: A Pakistani religio-political party protesting against the rising cost of living due to increased power tariffs and additional taxes in the federal budget expanded its sit-in to southern Karachi port city on Saturday, where people camped in front of the Governor House for an indefinite period.
Thousands of supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) started a protest demonstration last month in Pakistan’s garrison city of Rawalpindi, gathering at the historic Liaqat Bagh and demanding that the government review stringent economic measures that have financially burdened the people.
Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar announced the government had formed a committee to negotiate with the protesters and address their legitimate demands, though the talks remained inconclusive, prompting JI chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman to expand the sit-in to Karachi.
JI was scheduled to implement its decision on Wednesday but deferred it after the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in an attack believed to have been carried out by Israel in Tehran.
“Today’s protest is against inflation,” Monem Zafar Khan, the party’s Karachi head leading the protest, told Arab News. “It is against the oppressive billing practices of independent power producers and K-Electric, and the plundering of the public’s pockets that we will not accept under any circumstances.”
“Heavy taxes have been imposed on salaried individuals, taxes have been levied on children’s milk and essential goods are also being taxed,” he added. “These are the issues we have come out to protest today.”
The party’s information secretary, Zahid Askari, described Karachi’s sit-in as a continuation of Rawalpindi’s protest, adding that JI would continue until all issues raised by its leadership were resolved.
“Hafiz [Naeem-ur-Rehman] Sahib is leading the protest in Rawalpindi over the issues facing this nation, demanding an end to the oppression inflicted on the Pakistani people [by the government] and the removal of the new taxes imposed on salaried individuals,” he said.
“Our protest in Karachi is a continuation of the effort,” he added. “This protest will last until our demands are met.”
Pakistani religio-political party expands anti-inflation sit-in to Karachi
https://arab.news/44z59
Pakistani religio-political party expands anti-inflation sit-in to Karachi
- Thousands of Jamaat-e-Islami supporters have already been demonstrating against rising cost of living in Rawalpindi
- The party’s Karachi chapter began its sit-in in front of the Governor House in the Pakistani port city on Saturday
Pakistan says in talks with UAE over $2 billion loan rollover
- UAE’s $2 billion loan matured in January this year, with no announcement on its status from Pakistan’s central bank
- Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb assures reporters there is “absolutely no issue” with UAE loan rollover
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Wednesday that Islamabad was in talks with the UAE on rolling over its $2 billion loan, clarifying that there was no cause for concern over the matter.
The UAE has rolled over deposits worth $2 billion with Pakistan’s central bank since 2023, helping the South Asian country shore up its foreign exchange reserves.
The loan first matured in January this year and again in February. However, Pakistan’s central bank has not made any announcement about its status.
“We are directly in communication with them [UAE],” Aurangzeb told reporters in response to a question about whether the Gulf country had officially rolled over the loan or not.
“There is absolutely no issue with the rollover. I want to be very categorical.”
Loan rollovers from China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are crucial for Pakistan as its fragile economy has struggled for decades with boom-and-bust cycles.
The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the US, and a major source of foreign investment, valued at over $10 billion in the last 20 years, according to the UAE foreign ministry.
It is also home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates, making the country a major source of remittances for Pakistan.
