JI protests against hike in flour, sugar prices

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) held on Friday a demonstration against the hike in flour and sugar prices outside Noman Mosque at Lasbella roundabout after Juma prayers.

JI protesters also raised slogans against the increase in power tariffs and the rate of petroleum products. Holding placards inscribed with slogans against the ruling party, the demonstrators demanded of the government to curb the galloping inflation, maintaining that they would otherwise continue the protest.

Addressing the rally, JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman lashed out at Prime Minister Imran Khan, alleging that the premier’s “kitchen was being run by members of the sugar and flour mafias”.

Prime minister’s close aides, such as Jehangir Tareen, were looting from poor citizens millions of rupees in the grab of his sugar mills, Naeem accused. “The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has made new records of corruption,” he said.

Naeem announced that his party would continue protests against the rapid inflation which has “broken the backbone of the poor”.

He alleged that the government had appointed officials for running the country’s economic affairs on the dictation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and that those officials were working for the vested interests of the IMF.

Naeem said the government first sold flour to other countries on cheaper rates and then increased the wheat price for its own citizens. Criticising the prime minister for his statement that his salary was not enough to cover the expenses of his own household, Naeem remarked that the premier was at least earning two hundred thousand rupees a month while a poor man was compelled to make both ends meet is a salary as low as Rs15,000.

“Those who raised the slogans of the State of Madina have no answer to the fact that thousands of people are jobless in their rule,” he said.

Talking about the gas outages, he said people were suffering because of closures of NG stations. He said the shortage of gas had caused problems for the industrial sector and domestic users.

“The government trying is to hide its in efficiency and corruption. All burden has been put on the shoulders of the poor masses,” he added.