Economic plight of people may result in unimaginable anarchy, warns Naeem

The government must realise the gravity of the current economic situation and plight of the people due to unprecedented inflation because it may result in unimaginable anarchy and lawlessness.

Karachi Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman made these remarks on Sunday while addressing a demonstration in North Nazimabad against the hike in electricity tariff. A large number of residents of the area, including women and children, participated in the protest. They carried placards and banners, and chanted slogans against the previous and incumbent regimes and K-Electric.

Criticising the government for continuously adding tax burden on the common people, the JI leader said all the luxuries and subsidiaries were for the elite class, whereas inflation, petrol bombshells and taxes were for common people.

He warned that such policies would no longer be practical as people would revolt against them. He said the caretaker prime minister, Anwarul Haq Kakar, should pack up if he could not reduce the prices of electricity and fuel.

Rehman said 35 million people of Karachi had been recording their peaceful protest for several days and the rulers were playing the role of silent spectators, instead of taking concrete actions.

Lambasting the ruling elite class, he said 90 per cent of the ruling class never used fuel on its own expenses and bureaucrats were also part of that class.

The JI leader demanded that the government bring feudal lords, generals and other influential people into the tax net. Just four per cent of feudal lords had clutched 40 per cent of the agricultural land in the country, and the rulers had declared them tax free, he said.

The tax submission by the agricultural land to the national exchequer was Rs4 billion compared to Rs300 billion by the salaried class, Rehman said, adding that this kind of injustice would push the country into a horrible scenario.

Rehman warned the caretaker government not to increase the fuel prices any further. Talking about the political horizon, he said that only the JI had been active in the political arena. He added that the JI would continue to play its due role for the people.

The JI leader also berated what he said ‘white collar criminals’ for threatening people through video statements. He said the people of Karachi did not want to engage with poor employees of the KE, but if any untoward incident occurred, the government and KE would be responsible for it.

JI leader Syed Wajihul Hassan also addressed the protest and said the JI stood with the people against unjust electricity bills. There was no logic in keeping all the perks and privileges for high ranked civil and armed officers and putting all the financial burden on the poor class, he said.