Lahore: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman on Sunday warned the government that it would be responsible for any situation if authorities prevented the JI from holding its public rally at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi, saying roads in the city would be blocked if permission was denied.

'The government will be responsible for the consequences if we are not allowed to hold our rally today,' Rehman said while addressing a press conference on the 15th day of the JI sit-in outside the Punjab Chief Minister's House. JI Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari and other leaders were also present.

Rehman said the administration had locked Liaquat Bagh and was refusing to allow the JI to hold its rally. He said that JI workers were ready to break the locks and enter the venue, but the leadership had stopped them.

'We are peaceful people. Give us permission to hold our rally,' he said, warning that if the government denied permission, protests would be staged in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and roads across the two cities would be blocked.

'Then we will not be responsible,' he warned.

The JI emir said the government had initially contacted the party and had been told how negotiations could be held. 'We have never closed the doors to dialogue. The government now understands that Jamaat-e-Islami is not going away,' he said.

He reiterated that the JI would hold a nationwide strike on September 3 and would expand its movement afterward if its demands were not accepted.

Rehman said the government imposed burdens on ordinary citizens while protecting the privileges of the ruling elite.

'Instead of collecting bhatta (extortion) from the poor through the petroleum levy, the rulers should end their own privileges,' he said, questioning why officials were provided large vehicles and free fuel while people struggled with rising costs.

He said a particular privileged class enjoyed extensive benefits while ordinary people faced growing difficulties in doing business and earning a livelihood. 'Students, workers and small farmers are bearing the burden of taxes and inflation. Owners of hundreds and thousands of acres of land are not paying their fair share.'

He criticised the use of expensive official vehicles by ministers and senior officials and asked why they could not use vehicles with engines of up to 1,300cc.

The JI leader called for an end to free fuel for the bureaucracy, gas concessions and electricity subsidies enjoyed by privileged groups.

He said Pakistan had around 25 million motorcycles and said the government of continuously shifting the burden onto motorcycle users while sparing powerful groups. He said that a motorcycle rider effectively paid around Rs130 in taxes and levies on every litre of petrol.

The JI leader said government policies had devastated industry and left workers struggling to survive.

Turning to public transport, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman criticised the government for presenting the Metro Bus and Orange Line projects as major achievements.

'Many countries have modern underground railway systems,' he said, arguing that Lahore should also have developed a subway network. He questioned why Pakistan could not build underground rail systems when Iran had undertaken such projects despite international restrictions.

On the power sector, he said consumers were being charged capacity payments to independent power producers even when electricity was not being generated. He said that most people were unaware of the IPP issue before JI launched its protests.

'After our protests, the government was forced to negotiate with the IPPs, and people received relief in their electricity bills,' he said.

He said the JI sit-ins were not aimed at securing any personal or party benefit but at protecting the rights of the people. He said protests were continuing in Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, Hyderabad and other parts of the country.

'The participants will not end the sit-ins until our demands are accepted,' he said.

Commenting on the broader situation in the country, he said the system had rotted and failed to provide relief in any sector.

He expressed concern over terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and unrest in Balochistan, saying the existing system had failed to address the country's problems.

He also criticised continuation of the colonial-era system and alleged serious flaws in the electoral system, saying it largely allowed feudal elements to dominate politics.

The JI emir said young people were increasingly disillusioned and wanted to leave the country, describing the trend as a major tragedy for Pakistan.