Government will come to us ‘on its knees’, says Hafiz Naeem

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said the government will eventually be forced to approach his party, claiming that the ruling authorities will come to the negotiating table “on their knees.”

Speaking at a meeting with senior journalists and newspaper editors in Lahore, Hafiz Naeem said Jamaat-e-Islami had no plans to join any grand opposition alliance.

He said the party’s experience with political alliances in the past had been disappointing, arguing that such arrangements had caused Jamaat-e-Islami greater losses than political gains.

Hafiz Naeem said his party would instead continue its political struggle independently and raise public issues through its own platform. He maintained that Jamaat-e-Islami would pursue changes in the existing system without relying on broader opposition alliances.

The Jamaat chief also confirmed that his party had received an invitation for negotiations in Islamabad. However, he questioned the idea of holding talks in closed rooms while political protests were taking place in major cities.

“It cannot happen that sit-ins are held in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar while negotiations take place behind closed doors in Islamabad,” he said.

Hafiz Naeem described the party’s planned campaign as a long-term movement, saying it would eventually become decisive. He said Jamaat-e-Islami would continue putting pressure on the government until its demands were addressed.

He further announced that the party would unveil its strategy for a nationwide shutter-down strike on 13 Rabi-ul-Awwal. According to Hafiz Naeem, the planned campaign would include a wheel-jam and shutter-down strike across the country.

He said the protest campaign would subsequently move towards Islamabad, where the party would stage what he described as a decisive march.

Hafiz Naeem also criticised the government’s levy-related measures, urging the media to bring the issue before the public. He argued that the levy imposed by the government should not be treated as a conventional tax.

“Levy is not a tax; it is the government’s extortion,” he said.

The Jamaat-e-Islami leader reiterated that his party would continue its independent political struggle and seek public support for its campaign rather than becoming part of a new opposition alliance.