Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman on Saturday said people had not voted for the PML-N, PPP or MQM in the general elections.
“Establishment imposed them [PML-N, PPP, MQM] on masses through Form 47,” he said during a press conference at the sit-in site outside Punjab Chief Minister House on Saturday.
On the 14th day of the JI sit-in on The Mall, Rehman claimed the JI’s protest movement against the petroleum levy, expensive electricity and inflation had expanded beyond Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar to Quetta, Chitral and parts of interior Sindh.
“We are representing the sentiments of 250 million Pakistanis.”
Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman vowed to continue the campaign against what he called the government’s indifference to public hardships.
He reiterated the call for a nationwide shutter-down strike on September 3. He said there was also growing pressure for a wheel-jam strike. The JI chief said he would tonight make an important announcement about the next phase of the movement.
The JI, he said, will hold a public rally in Rawalpindi on Sunday. The party will organise major gatherings in Peshawar and Karachi. “We will soon announce a call for a long march towards Islamabad.”
PIMS Fire:
Taking aim at the PML-N, PPP and MQM, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said the people rejected these ruling parties in the national poll. He alleged that their “incompetence” was responsible for the deaths of 14 children at PIMS. He said a single resignation would not resolve the issue. Rehman demanded an explanation for why such incidents continued to occur.
On fuel prices, he rejected the government’s justification of international market trends. He claimed global oil prices had declined in recent days. He termed the petroleum levy a “bhatta tax” imposed on ordinary citizens. Rehman said the rulers are collecting in taxes around Rs130 per litre on petrol.
Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman also criticised electricity tariffs. “How load-shedding could persist when installed generation capacity exceeded 49,500MW while current demand is standing below 22,000MW.”
He urged opposition parties to join the movement. Rehman said the JI would remain committed to peaceful democratic resistance and was prepared for prolonged protests.
