Hafiz Naeem announces nationwide strike over tax burden

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has announced a nationwide strike for Thursday as part of

KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has announced a nationwide strike for Thursday as part of the party’s ongoing protest campaign against what he described as excessive taxes and rising public burdens.

Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, Hafiz Naeem said the protest movement was expanding at the grassroots level, with people becoming increasingly aware of issues affecting their daily lives.

He said the party was protesting against what it termed a “levy” and additional tax burden on citizens. According to him, JI had highlighted several issues that had previously received little public attention.

Hafiz Naeem criticised electricity-related charges, particularly capacity payments and fixed charges, saying they were placing an additional financial burden on consumers.

He claimed that around Rs1.7 trillion had been paid to several independent power producers (IPPs) while ordinary citizens continued to face heavy taxation.

The JI chief also criticised what he called preferential treatment for powerful economic groups, alleging that the sugar industry was not facing a comparable tax burden.

He said the party’s campaign was no longer limited to major cities and was now spreading through neighbourhoods and local communities.

Hafiz Naeem further claimed that the party’s protest sit-in in Peshawar had effectively expanded into five separate sit-ins, reflecting growing public participation in the campaign.

He said JI would continue its protest activities until the issues raised by the public were addressed.