JI opposes calls for fresh elections

RAWALPINDI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has dismissed calls for fresh elections from various quarters, asserting that the country does not need new polls rather there should be finalization of results based on Form 45, demanding a judicial commission for this purpose.

Addressing the Islamabad Bar Association on Monday, he announced that the JI sit-in in Islamabad on July 26 would be peaceful and would not conclude until the government announces relief for the masses regarding electricity tariffs and unfair taxes. He sought the support of the legal community for the rule of law and the protection of public rights.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman emphasized that the JI and the Bars are the only entities that hold regular elections, underscoring the lack of democratic principles within political parties, which never conduct intra-party polls.

He lamented the ban on student unions and the government’s lack of interest in holding local bodies’ elections. Drawing a parallel with Bangladesh, he noted how students there resisted and took to the streets for their rights, challenging the fascist rule.

In contrast, he said, Pakistan’s rulers are attempting to suppress freedom of speech and impose bans on social media. However, these tactics will no longer work, as the public is unwilling to relent, he said. Naeemur Rehman highlighted that people are paying billions in capacity charges to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) every month, with some IPPs receiving payments without producing a single unit of electricity.

He also called for a forensic audit of the IPPs and the public disclosure of their agreements, noting that majority of the owners of the IPPs are sitting in the government. He said more than a dozen types of taxes are included in electricity bills.

He said the ruling elite was looting national resources and stashing their wealth in foreign banks. Later, addressing a traders’ convention in Rawalpindi, he rejected the imposition of massive taxes on the business community in the recent budget, which he said was dictated by the IMF. He criticized the feudal lords in the government who evade taxes, while civil, military, and judicial bureaucracies enjoy luxuries funded by the taxes of the poor, including free electricity, gas, and petrol. Their families enjoy protocols and official vehicles while the poor lack food and medicine for their children, he said.

The JI chief urged the 250 million people to recognize their strength and initiate a peaceful struggle for their rights, offering them the platform of the JI. He said the JI would never deceive the people and fight for their cause with full dedication.