LAHORE: The Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Ameerul Azim, said that JI would start a nationwide protest movement from Friday against extraordinary increase in electricity tariffs and inclusion of various taxes in the bills. “Protests and rallies will be held in all big and small cities against the oppression of people” he maintained.

In a statement issued from Mansoorah, the JI secretary general urged that the government should charge the actual price of electricity from the consumers and that the people would no longer pay the sixty percent ransom included in the bills in the form of taxes. Ameerul Azim clarified that the tried and tested recipe of making the poor people scapegoats under the pressure of IMF would no longer work. He suggested that instead of targeting the poor, the ruling class and the privileged class should bring their assets and looted wealth back to the country.

Ameerul Azim said that the main meeting of the protest movement would be held in Peshawar’s Qisa Khawani Bazaar, which would be addressed by Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Sirajul Haq. “Along with this, there will be demonstrations in other cities in which a large number of people will participate because of inflation and unemployment”, he underlined.

The JI Secretary General added that Jamaat-e-Islami would hold protests in Islamabad on August 15 and in front of LESCO headquarters in Lahore on August 17. He appealed to the people to raise their voice for their rights and be a part of the movement.