The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Friday night vowed to continue its sit-in against hefty utility bills, particularly electricity tariffs, until the government accepted its demands, as hundreds of its supporters gathered in Rawalpindi with pledges to remain in place so long as their leadership demanded so.
Earlier, the government had announced an intent to negotiate with the JI, asking the party to form a committee for the purpose. “We are ready to talk for peace, security and development of the country which is the main agenda of our government,” Information Minister Ataullah Tarar told a press conference, with JI chief Hafiz Naeem telling the protesters the party was willing to engage in dialogue with an “empowered” committee. He also demanded that the government first release all its arrested workers to “prove” its sincerity for the dialogue process.
According to the JI, over 1,000 of its workers were detained nationwide while trying to march on Islamabad to join the protest. Authorities said they were taken into custody for violating Section 144—imposed in both Punjab and the federal capital—though most were released late on Friday night.
Initially, the JI had announced it would converge on D-Chowk in Islamabad and set up a protest camp there. However, the government denied them permission for the same, suggesting they encamp at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi instead “in the national interest.” After a brief back-and-forth, the JI agreed to this proposal, with both law enforcers and party leaders maintaining that no one would be permitted to cause unrest. Reportedly, authorities have agreed to allow the sit-in to continue for 2-3 days.
In his Friday night address, the JI chief told the protesters to be ready to move toward D-Chowk at his call, but stressed the party was in no rush to do so. He lamented that high electricity bills were forcing businesses to shutter and triggered conflicts within families and this could not be allowed to continue.
“The government claims that the electricity price was increased as per the International Monetary Fund demands,” he said, questioning why the government had boosted its administrative expenses in the federal budget if the economic situation were so dire.
Demanding an end to the perks and privileges of the elite, he said undue taxes must end and the country rid of the expensive electricity produced by independent power producers (IPPs).
The other protest
Also on Friday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had pledged to stage nationwide rallies calling for the release of its founder Imran Khan. However, after the imposition of Section 144 and arrests of anyone attempting to stage demonstrations, the party called off its Islamabad protest until Monday, despite receiving permission to stage it by the Islamabad High Court. Still, scattered protests were held in various cities, particularly parts of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where the PTI is in government.