JI sit-in day 4: Women members join protest

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) women rallied to join the party protest on Murree Road, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Monday.

Special seat arrangements were made for women at the protest venue. Leaders addressed the participants, shedding light on demands for the demo. Dr Samia Raheel Qazi, the daughter of former JI chief, was among the attendees.

The JI, led by Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, has been protesting for the past four days against the government’s failure to deliver.

The JI demanded the government bring down the electricity tariff and rid the country of independent power producers (IPPs), threatening that the party would continue its ongoing protest till the government acts.

Addressing the protesters Naeemur Rehman reiterated his party's resolve to continue the demo till their demands are met.

He praised women activists, saying that such a bigger rally of women has not been held so far.

He demanded a forensic audit of IPPs. “In the past, agreements were also discussed with IPPs,” he said, adding that the government has more than 50 percent stake in IPPs.

He said: “We want Islamic laws enforced. Girls education will be a must.

“When the state collects taxes, its responsibility is to provide free education.”

He added: “Our children are being made addicts. Don't the police know about drug dealings?

“The police system is such that these people collect extortion and pass it on.

“The government has taxed the salaried people so much that half of their pay salary goes into the bill.

“If we do not lead, anarchy will be created in the country

“We are running a peace movement. Protests will spread across Pakistan.”

Yesterday, he asked the government to revisit the agreements made with the power producers, accusing the government of making the IPPs even more powerful.

“They signed agreements, which are full of lies,” he said. His statements came after the government formed a technical committee to work on the resolution of contentious issues following an initial round of negotiations.

He criticised the previous and present governments for giving into IPPs since 1994, adding, “If IPPs are state-owned and the government has shares, then who is stopping the government from decreasing capacity charges?”

 “Why should Pakistan’s poor population pay for those capacity charges?” he questioned, adding that the agreements were almost anti-state.

He requested the Punjab government not to stop women protesters, saying that women are the “most heavily impacted by electricity bills”.

 “It’s not anyone’s desire to leave their home and sit on the road. When the ruling class closes all the roads for us, people are forced to protest.”

Led by Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam and PML-N’s Islamabad President Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, the government delegation met JI Vice Emir Liaquat Baloch at the commissioner’s office in Rawalpindi to find a middle ground.

The JI presented its demands and the two sides decided to hold another dialogue session that could not be held.