JI Emir Rehman declares Aug 28 strike will be a historic event

LAHORE - Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has declared that the shutterdown strike scheduled for August 28 will be a historic event

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has extended his complete support to the traders’ call for a shutter-down strike on August 28, terming it a historic event.

Addressing a press conference at Mansoorah on Sunday, Rehman also challenged former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to disclose how much the Sharif family had benefited from the national exchequer in the form of capacity charges on their IPPs. He criticized Nawaz for positioning himself as a savior by offering what he described as token relief to the people of Punjab amid rising power tariffs.

“Nawaz Sharif is trying to hoodwink the people of Punjab once again by offering them a meager relief of Rs2 per unit in electricity tariffs, while his family has looted billions of rupees from the national kitty through capacity charges on their IPPs,” Rehman said.

He urged traders to remain united and not fall victim to the government’s attempts to sow division within their ranks, stressing the importance of solidarity against such conspiracies. He also affirmed that JI would compel the government to honor the agreement reached following JI’s 14-day sit-in protest.

“The government had agreed to accept JI’s demands following the sit-in protest, but it has yet to fulfill its commitment. We will not rest until the government fully implements the agreement,” Rehman said.

Looking ahead, he announced that JI would launch a nationwide membership campaign starting on September 1. This campaign will focus on mass mobilization across various issues, including electoral and land reforms, universal access to education and healthcare, democracy, missing persons, the rule of law, and freedom of expression.

“JI is the only party that has been consistently struggling for the rights of the people and against the corrupt system,” Rehman said, paying tribute to the long struggle of the JI workers. He said that in the prevailing scenario, the JI championed the rights of the people.

“Both the PML-N and PPP came to power through rigged elections. The governments of these parties including the PTI and PML-Q had only not provided billions to the IPPs under capacity charges but also under tax exemptions,” Rehman said.

He further held the PML-N, PPP, and their allies responsible for the current crises facing the country.

“The PML-N, PPP, and their allies have plundered the country’s resources and pushed it to the brink of collapse. They are now trying to shift the blame on others, but the people of Pakistan will hold them accountable for their crimes,” Rehman said.

He criticized Nawaz Sharif for indulging in provincial politics over the issue of electricity tariffs, offering relief to the people of Punjab despite having served as the country’s prime minister. He repeated JI’s demand for nationwide relief on electricity tariffs and forensic audit of the IPPs, appealing to the people to make the strike successful.

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