Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has announced nationwide protest rallies starting today, followed by the blocking of major roads in key cities on August 7 as part of the party’s campaign against rising electricity prices, taxes and petroleum levies.
Addressing a women’s march in Karachi, Naeem said the large participation of women on Shahrah-e-Quaideen represented the voices of Pakistan’s 250 million people.
He said the march had shown that it was time to end the politics of “Form 47”, referring to allegations of electoral irregularities.
“The women are at the forefront of every public movement,” he said, adding that people could not receive their basic rights under the country’s “outdated system”.
The JI chief criticised the government over high electricity costs, claiming that billions of rupees were being collected from the public in the name of electricity while independent power producers (IPPs) continued to benefit.
He also described the petroleum levy as an “extortion tax” and said new taxes had placed an additional burden on the public. He added that more than 30 million motorcycle riders were also facing heavy levies.
Naeem announced that protest rallies would be held across the country from today. On August 7, major highways from Karachi to Chitral would be blocked as part of the protest campaign.
He said ambulances would be allowed to pass during the road blockades, adding that the party would announce its future course of action on the same day.
The JI chief urged people to strengthen the movement on social media and ensure strong participation in the protests.
He demanded that the government immediately abolish the petroleum levy, reduce fuel prices and cancel agreements with IPPs.