The Series Of Sit-Ins Should Not Be Prolonged - Ishraq Ahmed Hashmi

The most organized Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan has been staging a sit-in outside Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi for the past seven days, led by Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman himself. Eight demands have been placed before the government by them, which seem to be the voice of the suffering people. It has been made clear to the government that unless these eight demands are met, the sit-in will continue and will spread throughout Pakistan. So far the Liaquat Bagh sit-in is peaceful. Due to the strong participation of people in the sit-in, the government offered talks to Jamaat-e-Islami. There have been periods of talks, but no concrete results have been found. It seems that the government does not understand the seriousness of the situation and wants to prolong the talks so that the people participating in the sit-in are tired and the matter is settled.

In our view, a procrastination approach can make matters worse rather than better. Electricity bills are falling like lightning on people. Mr. Nawaz Sharif has rightly assessed that electricity bills are not only a problem for the poor but for everyone. In Bangladesh, electricity is available at Rs 6 per unit while in Pakistan a unit has reached the high of Rs 60. A woman jumped into a dirty drain after reading the electricity bill and surrendered her life to the Creator. This incident has also happened that one brother killed another brother over a dispute over electricity bill. White people are selling their household items to pay the soul-crushing bills. 98% of the population is going through severe punishment, whose sleep has become haram.

Although the Punjab government has announced to provide free solar systems to families who consume less than 200 units of electricity, the new system will take time to establish and the problem will not end immediately. That is, the federal government has to find a way of immediate and extraordinary reduction in electricity bills and announce the relief as soon as possible. Suggestions have also come forward from various quarters. For example, an opinion has been given that due to the seriousness of the situation, if the general sales tax of 18% and income tax of 7% are abolished for four months, the bills can be reduced by 25% immediately. Apart from this, if the privileges given to the elite are abolished and electricity theft and wastage are controlled, then 537 billion rupees can be saved annually and spent on the poor. The government should immediately review all these suggestions and announce a relief that will bring convenience to as many people as possible.

This is the time to deal with the dire situation that has threatened our national survival instead of just throwing arrows of scorn and slander. We have been burdened with external debts to such an extent that it has become almost impossible for us to discharge them and pay their interest. In such a situation, the nerves of the rulers are responding, although efforts are being made to improve the situation at some level. In fact, Pakistan is rich in natural resources and strong human power that despite all the shortcomings, it has the potential to become a world power. This fact has been clearly predicted by the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, and detailed that the axis of power is now shifting from the West to the East. Instead of America and Europe, Russia is becoming the center of attention of nations and Pakistan is going to become a world power in its region.

The leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami has started holding sit-ins to find a remedy for the sufferings of 25 crore citizens and it has become the strongest symbol of resistance. PTI is expressing its displeasure over this, although it should cooperate with Jamaat-e-Islami and increase pressure on the government. The government has acknowledged the impact of the sit-ins to some extent and it is hoped that a remedy will be found for overbilling and harassment of IPPs. If the government neglects to act, it will have to pay a heavy price, as the anger of the people continues to grow and the restlessness that spreads among them may take the color of rebellion. In this dire situation, our advice would be to end the series of sit-ins as soon as possible, because new incidents may arise from them. Undoubtedly, Jamaat-e-Islami is struggling to provide relief to the people with all sincerity and newly elected Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has shown his capabilities. He emerged as a revolutionary leader.

It would be better for them to adopt a strategy to end the series of sit-ins as soon as possible so that life returns to normal. The legitimate demands of the people should be satisfied with the cooperation of political and democratic forces. It would be in no way appropriate to keep the talents and energies of thousands of workers under pressure for a long time, as this would undoubtedly affect constructive and positive work and would not allow the people's energy to sit still. For the eight demands that Jamaat-e-Islami is struggling for, Pakistan is actually facing bigger and more horrible holes. Our friend Mr. Javed Nawaz, who keeps a keen eye on national and international affairs, has sent us a detailed list of twelve holes which will be mentioned in future columns