JI ramps up pressure as protests continue
Party to announce shutter-down strike date on August 27
JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman announced that his party will continue its sit-ins until the petroleum levy is withdrawn. Rehman stated that the JI will unveil a plan for a nationwide shutdown strike on August 27, the day following the 12 Rabiul Awwal celebrations. At a press conference, Rehman expressed the party's intention to expand the protest movement to various cities before ultimately moving towards Islamabad.
He assured that existing sit-ins in Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar would persist, while additional protest camps would be established in other locations.
Rehman emphasized that the movement would be persistent and demanding but decisive, urging the government to engage in open negotiations. He rejected the idea of secret talks while protests continued in Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar. The party had received an invitation for talks in Islamabad but ruled out closed-door negotiations during the ongoing protests.
JI Punjab Central chief Javed Qasuri announced that the protest would be expanded to every district, neighborhood, and locality if the government did not address public grievances. The movement would persist until the levy was withdrawn and petrol prices were reduced to Rs220 per litre. Samina Saeed, the head of the party's women wing, expressed gratitude to the women who participated in the Lahore sit-in.
Written by urgent.news from The Express Tribune - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
