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Pakistan Reader
JI holds sit-in against poor economic situation and controversial deals with IPPs

  Dhriti Mukherjee

On 26 July, the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) held a sit-in protest at Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh, against rising electricity bills, controversial agreements with IPPs, and surging inflation. Despite the imposition of Section 144, the party tried entereing Punjab and Islamabad initially, to hold demonstrations. Meanwhile, the PTI had planned nationwide protests calling for the release of Imran Khan; however, it changed its decision to protest in Islamabad after the Islamabad High Court allowed the party to hold demonstrations on 29 July. Regardless, PTI members held demonstrations in other parts of the country.
 
Why was JI protesting?
First, potential new elections. JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman accused the government of casuing a “dire situation” where citizens are “killing each other over electricity bills.” He dismissed the idea of fresh elections, saying that the party wants the government to be “given to those who have the mandate according to Form 45.” Anyone from parties including the PTI, PML-N, and PPP who were calling for fresh elections, were accused of being disloyal to Pakistan and of “seeking a share in the spoils of a new election.”
 
Second, IPP business. As per the JI emir, IPPs are “exploiting” Pakistan. Demanding the government to end the IPP business and reduce its expenses to give the public a sense of relief, Rehman pointed out that government personalities own more than 80 per cent of IPPs. They receive “over PKR 500 billion” from the pockets of ordinary citizens. He condemned privileges given to a special class of bureaucrats, military personnel, and judges, such as free petrol, electricity, housing, and gas. Claiming that the “payments to IPPs are also extracted from the public through electricity bills,” he vowed that the sit-in would continue till the privliges and the agreements with the IPPs are ended.
 
Third, inequality in taxes and high power bills. Rehman went on to highlight the tax disparity, as part of which the salaried class paid PKR 365 billion in income tax last year, whereas large landowners paid less than PKR five billion. He thus asserted that the landlords should be taxed and taxes from “salaries and electricity bills” should be removed. Rehman lamented how high power bills have forced individuals to sell their belongings, while the government kept allegedly spending taxpayer money to get the media to hide the privilges given to a special class.
 
What was the response?
To stop people from reaching the sit-in destination, containers were placed at city entry points with only one lane being kept open. There was a significant police presence at Faizabad, with officials equipped with water cannons and tear gas. According to JI’s central spokesperson Qaiser Sharif, police arrested 1,150 JI workers and allegedly subjected many of them to violence. He commented: “Seeing the large public turnout at the sit-ins, the government is panicking and resorting to fascism.” Many workers were arrested ahead of the sit-in at Islamabad, in response to which the JI workers were redirected to Islamabad Expressway. On the arrested workers, Rehman emphasized that since protesting is a “constitutional right,” the government should not “obstruct” the JI’s path. He warned of sit-ins from Karachi to Chitral till the protestors were released and demands were met. Currently, the three sit-in points have been identified as Murree Road, Zero Point, and Chungi No. 26.
 
In response to the protests, the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, accused the party of breaching its agreement with the government on concluding the protest with a rally at Liaquat Bagh. He stated that while the “march towards Islamabad is incomprehensible” when the rally was to be held at Liaquat Bagh, the government is still willing to hold talks with the JI. Defending the government’s economic performance, Tarar assured that the government was willing to listen to the party’s demands and attempt to incorporate them into the existing reform agenda. However, Rehman maintined: “I also want to say to the government that all our workers they’ve arrested … they should be immediately released and if they are, then we will consider you are serious about talks.” He also questioned whether the government would be willing to hold talks if the sit-ins continue for “a month or so.”
 
References
Umer Mehtab & Shakeel Qarar, “JI demands govt shows seriousness for talks by ‘immediately’ releasing detained protesters,” Dawn, 26 July 2024;
Mansoor Malik & Kalbe Ali, “JI demo paralyses parts of capital as PTI puts off rally,” Dawn, 27 July 2024;
‘Govt still open for talks’: Tarar accuses JI of breaching agreement on sit-in venue,” The Express Tribune, 26 July 2024;
JI chief opposes fresh polls, calls for existing mandate to be honoured,” The Express Tribune, 26 July 2024;
Govt on tenterhooks as JI hits the streets,” The Express Tribune, 27 July 2024

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