The Jamaat-e-Islami’s Karachi chapter held sit-ins at 13 major locations across the city on Sunday to protest against the government’s failure to provide relief to the public amid expensive electricity and excessive taxation.
During the protests, funeral prayers were offered in absentia for Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. They were led by JI Karachi Emir Monem Zafar at the National Highway.
Addressing the protesters in the Malir Kala Board area, Zafar said the nation and the rulers are at odds regarding the ongoing Israeli terrorism in the region. He lamented that Pakistan’s leaders are preoccupied with oppressing their own people.
He criticised the government for backtracking on the Rawalpindi agreement, asserting that the public would not allow this to happen. He emphasised that the government must fulfil its commitment to provide relief to the masses, noting that the JI has remained active since the 14-day sit-in in Rawalpindi.
He accused the government of protecting the electricity mafia, specifically the independent power producers (IPPs), and claimed that the ruling regime is colluding with the K-Electric “mafia” in Karachi as well as the IPPs.
He pointed out that Karachi, which contributes 98 per cent of the budget for the Sindh province, has been “neglected and mismanaged by the Pakistan Peoples Party” (PPP) over the past 16 years.
He described Karachi, home to over 30 million people, as a city plagued by problems, including electricity shortages, severe water scarcity and various civic issues.
He criticised the PPP for allegedly exploiting the city’s resources and allowing criminal elements and mafias, such as the tanker mafia, KE and street criminals, to thrive, making Karachi increasingly unliveable.
Regarding Israeli terrorism, Zafar warned that the Zionist regime would continue to expand its agenda unless stopped by the global community, particularly the Muslim world.
He announced that Karachiites would hold a million march on October 6 in solidarity with Palestine and Lebanon, followed by a show of solidarity on October 7.
The JI Karachi leadership and the party’s district heads addressed the participants of the 13 sit-ins, which saw a large turnout from various segments of society. The protesters carried placards and banners, shouting slogans against the ruling regime and those responsible for the hardships faced by the people of Karachi.