Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) has announced that it will hold sit-ins across the country from August 16, instead of August 9, citing plans to mark Independence Day on a larger scale.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman in Lahore on Saturday. Leaders from all four provinces and major cities participated in the meeting through video link.
According to the party, simultaneous sit-ins will be held in all four provinces on August 16. A large demonstration is planned outside the Chief Minister’s House in Lahore, while protests will be held outside the governor houses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the government must end what he called “oppression and tyranny”, adding that the JI would use its sit-ins to press the authorities to accept its demands.
He said demonstrations had been held at 510 locations across the country on Friday, describing them as a nationwide expression of opposition to the levy and calling for a reduction in petrol prices.
The JI chief said the party had previously raised its voice against independent power producers (IPPs) and demanded that the government accept its demands.
Commenting on the recently signed defence agreement between Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman welcomed the development and said it would reduce the Muslim world’s dependence on its “enemies”.
He called for Qatar, Bangladesh, Iran, Malaysia and Indonesia to also be included in the defence arrangement, saying participation by more Muslim countries could lead to the formation of a strong bloc.
