JI chief rules out any comprise on demands before govt

Rawalpindi: Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman on Saturday once again ruled out any compromise on the demands of the sit-in as the protest at Murree Road entered its ninth day on Saturday.

Addressing the participants, he stated that the JI had already presented seven demands to the government committee.

"The rulers must either accept these demands or face the possibility of being sent home," he declared.

Rehman criticized the current government, stating they lacked legitimacy due to massive rigging in the general elections, particularly through Form-47.

"If the government thinks the participants will tire and end the sit-in, they are living in a fool's paradise," he warned. "We are not going anywhere."

He announced that the JI had also initiated a sit-in in Karachi on Saturday, with plans to expand to other major cities.

The sit-in demands include a decrease in electricity tariffs, a review of agreements with Independent Power Producers (IPPs), an end to the petroleum levy, the abolition of unfair taxes on the salaried class and business community, the imposition of tax on large agricultural landholders, and an end to the extravagance and luxuries of the ruling class.

Rehman warned the government that the JI had numerous options to pressure the government into providing relief to the masses, including the closure of major highways and a shutter-down strike.

"We also have the option to call for a public boycott of electricity bills," he warned. "If the government has any compulsion in reviewing the agreements with the IPPs, it should explain it before the public."

He arrived at the sit-in site directly from Doha, Qatar, where he attended the funeral prayer for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. During his visit, he also met with the family members of the former prime minister of Palestine and the leadership of Hamas.

In the afternoon, he addressed a press conference alongside the leadership of the JI and also led a Palestine solidarity rally.

Speaking to journalists, he emphasized that the JI would not engage in behind-closed-doors negotiations with the government committee.

"Any dialogue will take place openly, in front of the media and the public, if the sit-in's demands are not met in the next couple of days," he declared.

Addressing the Palestine Solidarity rally, he criticized the rulers of the Muslim world for being silent spectators of the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. He stated that they have desperately failed to represent the sentiments of the Muslim ummah. He also condemned the silence of the international organizations and so-called world powers on the killings of children, women, and other civilians in refugee camps by Zionist forces.

He called for unity among Muslim countries and urged them to raise a strong voice against their governments' silence on the killings in Gaza. He emphasized the need to overthrow rulers in Muslim countries who prioritize obedience to the US over representing the sentiments of their people.

Rehman noted that successive governments in Pakistan have always shown loyalty to Washington instead of securing the interests of their own people. Therefore, he said the JI would launch a national resistance movement for comprehensive reforms after the success of the sit-in.

He congratulated the participants for their steadfastness and for representing the cause of the Pakistani nation. He also announced that the JI would mark August 5th as a day of solidarity with the people of Occupied Kashmir from the platform of the sit-in.