The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Monday announced it will continue its sit-in at Rawalpindi, as a first round of negotiations with the government failed to make significant headway in resolving the situation.
Following the government’s invitations, a JI delegation led by party leader Liaqat Baloch met a three-member team comprising Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam, and MNA Tariq Fazal Chaudhry. In a press conference after the meeting, Baloch said the talks were held in a “pleasant” environment, adding the JI had presented its demands to the government.
“They [government] will set up a technical team tomorrow (Monday) to look into our demands,” he said, adding the JI had assured the government the protest was apolitical and solely aimed at securing relief for the masses from hefty electricity bills. To a question, he said the sit-in would continue until the protesters’ demands were met, adding this could require multiple rounds of talks.
He said the negotiating team had also conveyed a list of 35 persons to the government, demanding their immediate release to prove the government was sincere in its talks. Confirming that the government had ordered the immediate release of the names provided by the JI, Tarar said the party had submitted a list of 10 demands for the government to examine.
Maintaining the government was striving to reduce its expenditures and provide relief to the general public, he said the water and power minister had been added to the technical team examining the JI’s demands, which already includes the Power Division secretary and representatives of the finance ministry and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
The list of demands submitted by the JI to the government is as follows:
- Abolition of the petroleum development levy and withdrawal of recent price hikes to petroleum products
- 20% reduction in prices of food commodities, electricity and gas tariffs
- Renegotiation of agreements with independent power producers (IPPs)
- End clause of agreement with IPPs on making payments in U.S. dollars.
- 50% discount for consumers utilizing up to 500 units of electricity
- Reduction in taxes on agriculture and industrial sectors
- Incentives for the industrial sector, trade and investment to provide employment to youth
- Withdrawal of tax hikes for the salaried class and imposition of taxes on the privileged class
- Cut to non-development expenses by 35%.
- Withdrawal of all taxes on stationery and other items used in education