Hafiz Naeemur Rehman issues stern warning to the govt, urging it to provide relief to the people or brace for a movement

CHITRAL, Oct 02 (SABAH): Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Engineer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has issued a stern warning to the government, urging it to provide relief to the people or brace for a movement.

Addressing a public gathering in Chitral on Wednesday, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the government violated the Rawalpindi agreement, adding the JI now feels free to take independent decisions, with public support.

He warned the Shehbaz Sharif-led government to reduce power tariffs and eliminate unjust taxes, including the agreements with Independent Power Producers (IPPs). Failing to do so, he said, would result in uncontrollable public anger, and the movement could escalate from demanding relief to forcing the government out of power. He added that the people are no longer willing to bear the burden of the ruling elite’s extravagant lifestyle, funded by state resources.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman went on to say that a small ruling elite—comprising feudal lords, imperialists, and the civil and military establishment—has monopolized the country’s resources for decades, depriving the masses of basic amenities. He stressed that this systemic injustice and exploitation can no longer continue, as the peopleare at their breaking point.

The JI chief said that his party is observing the current week in solidarity with the people of Palestine and Lebanon and would decide its course of action after October 7. Options being considered include a long march on Islamabad or countrywide strikes to compel the government to act, he said. Additionally, he said that JI plans to hold a referendum on October 23 to gauge public opinion on boycotting electricity bills. If the majority supports the boycott, JI will officially announce it the following month.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman urged the public to join JI in its struggle against the corrupt mafias and warned the government not to stand in the way of the people’s anger, which could sweep away everything in its path. He also condemned the silence of Muslim rulers in the face of Israeli atrocities in Gaza, calling on the people to stand in solidarity with Gaza and to pressure the rulers into breaking their silence on this injustice.