Jamaat-govt talks held but anti-inflation sit-in will continue
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RAWALPINDI: (Web Desk) After the first round of talks between the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the government on Sunday, JI Naib Emir Liaqat Baloch said that the ongoing anti-inflation sit-in will continue in Rawalpindi.

The dialogues were held at the Rawalpindi commissioner office between the two sides. The government delegation consisted of Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Minister for Energy Awais Leghari, and MNA Tariq Fazal Chaudhry who met with the JI negotiation committee.

Talking to the media after the talks, Baloch said that the first round of talks was held in a "pleasant environment". He said that the government body offered talks, which the JI accepted.

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The JI leader noted, "We have put our demands before the government and they have informed us that it will set up a technical team tomorrow to look into it.”

Baloch maintained that another round of talks will be held and the protest sit-in will continue till their demands are accepted.

On Saturday, JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman warned of expanding the party’s Rawalpindi sit-in to other areas across the country if the government failed to meet its demands regarding skyrocketing electricity bills and rising taxes.

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Meanwhile, Murree Road remained closed to traffic from Marrir Chowk to Committee Chowk, with containers placed on the artery that passes through the heart of the garrison city.


 

Addressing the sit-in, Rehman thanked the protesters for their attendance and said that people hadn’t left their homes and opted to sit on the streets for nothing.

He said, “Power and tax hikes are not just a problem for Jamaat-i-Islami but for the entire country.”

The party leader added that there was no way to resolve the issue other than political struggle within the bounds of the constitution, which he reiterated, that the protesters were upholding.

He said that when Parliament and institutions are not working. “It is our right to protest under the Constitution,” he added.

The JI chief, addressing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said, “Tell me how a common man can run his household with a minimum wage of Rs37,000. How will a poor man pay for electricity?”

He demanded that electricity bills be reduced and criticised independent power producers (IPPs), stating that their contracts were being “hidden from the people”.

The salaried class in Pakistan was “paying more taxes compared to India” and slammed the “landlords and capitalists” for making the decisions, he said.