Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has announced a major escalation of its protest movement, now entering its sixth day. On Thursday, JI Karachi AmeerMunemZafar revealed plans for over 1,000 demonstrations across the city, set to take place outside mosques on Friday. The protests will continue outside the Sindh Governor House, with a new campaign aimed at mobilizing more residents through door-to-door outreach and awareness efforts.
Zafar reiterated the party’s demands to terminate what they describe as unfair contracts with Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and called for immediate relief for the salaried class.
He claimed that JI’s growing popularity is due to its commitment to advocating for people’s rights, which has led the party to become the largest in Karachi’s local government elections and secure over 800,000 votes in the general elections. Zafar also criticized the negative reactions from political and ideological adversaries, asserting that despite opposition, JI’s fight for justice would persist and hopefully yield positive outcomes for the nation. In solidarity with JI, the National Labour Federation (NLF) held a convention at the sit-in, where leaders from the labour sector voiced their support.
JI Karachi General Secretary TaufiquddinSiddiqui addressed the gathering, highlighting the impact of the current economic situation on the lower and middle classes, particularly the salaried workers. He pointed out that while the salaried class contributes Rs360 billion in taxes, feudal lords contribute just Rs5 billion. Siddiqui also criticized the IPPs, noting that out of 106, none are operating at full capacity, with 85% functioning below 50% of their potential. He revealed that three IPPs have received Rs1929 billion in payments for electricity they did not produce, merely as capacity charges. He urged for immediate attention to issues surrounding gas and electricity bills. Labour leaders Khalid Khan and ZahidAskari also spoke at the convention, encouraging participants to remain steadfast in their resistance against what they see as injustice and tyranny.
