The Jamaat-e-Islami’s sit-in against high electricity bills and power agreements with IPPs in Rawalpindi entered its 10th day on Sunday, with the religiopolitical party considering starting “pay no electricity bills” if there was no headway in negotiations with the government.
“We have more options if our demands are not taken seriously,” JI Ameer Sirajul Haq told supporters in Karachi as the party staged a sit-in outside the Governor House.
The protest, held in Liaquat Bagh, has seen two rounds of talks between the JI and a government negotiating committee, so far yielding no concrete results.
The party has vowed to continue the sit-in until their demands are met and has even threatened to escalate the protests nationwide.
On Sunday morning, the protesters enjoyed a breakfast of bread and halwa in Karachi as they continued their sit-in.
Rehman demanded Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reduce electricity bills, stating that it was the “only way to salvation” and warned that the government might collapse if it was not done.
He alleged that the premier and others were lying about IPPs, and that people were being forced to sell their household furniture to pay electricity bills. “There is now only one path left – to provide relief to the people.”
The JI chief claimed that the government would not be able to stop the JI’ss movement, stating that the sit-in has become the “hope” of salaried employees, labourers, and farmers. He bluntly said the solution was to reduce electricity prices and impose taxes on feudal landlords.
Rehman stated that supporters of JI were “making history” with their peaceful political resistance. On Saturday, he warned that they would move beyond the Murree Road if their demands were not met.
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He added that sit-ins have begun in Karachi, Peshawar, and Lahore, with the Lahore sit-in planned outside the Chief Minister’s House. He also mentioned that a strike Was a possible option alongside the sit-in.
Rehman criticised the government’s “lack of urgency” in addressing the people’s grievances, stating that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s statements only reveal his “anxiety.”
He reiterated that the protests would intensify if the government failed to concede to their demands.
The JI chief expressed concerns over the growing number of young people “who are disillusioned with the current state of affairs and are choosing to leave the country.”
He lamented the alleged corruption in the political system, urging the government to be transparent and accountable. He questioned “why the government is reluctant to curb the privileges of the elite and control their spending.”
