Pak: Jamaat-E-Islami Chief Announces Nationwide Sit-In Over Inflated Electricity Bills

Hafiz Naeem stated that from October 23 to 27, they will seek public opinion on whether to stop paying electricity bills if the prices remain high.

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Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Muhammad Naeem on Tuesday announced a nationwide sit-in on September 29 in a bid to ask the government to reduce electricity prices, ARY News reported.
As a part of his 'Haq do Awam ko' movement, he addressed a press conference in Lahore and said that the movement is aimed at providing relief to the public, ARY News reported.

The government had signed a written agreement with the party, promising to address their demands within 45 days, Naeem said. As the deadline now passed, Hafiz Naeem announced the next phase of movement, as per ARY News.

The sit-ins will be held across major highways in Pakistan, and from October 1 to 7, the party plans to express solidarity with the people of Palestine and Lebanon. After that, the movement will transition into a resistance campaign.

Hafiz Naeem also stated that from October 23 to 27, they will seek public opinion on whether to stop paying electricity bills if the prices remain high.

Earlier on September 7, Rehman issued a warning to the government and warned that they will be held accountable for the consequences if the 'Rawalpindi Agreement' is not implemented, ARY News reported.

ARY News reported that Rehman was speaking at a membership campaign ceremony in Lahore, where he said that Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif must not complain about the actions his party would take if the agreement does not materialise. He added that the date of implementation is 16 days away.

Rehman said that the public will not bear with the burden of taxes and rules imposed by Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and rulers, ARY News reported.

He said that he has consultations going on with business communities about a 3-day nationwide strike, as per the ARY News report.

Rehman added that it was due to his party's efforts that the government of Pakistan's Punjab reduced the power taxes and said that the actual cost of electricity must be uniformly implemented across all states in Pakistan, ARY News reported.