Govt, JI hold 2nd round of talks as sit-in continues on 6th day

RAWALPINDI: The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leadership, during second round of talks, agreed to give more time to the government to accept its demands, but refused to end its sit-in on Murree Road, which continued on the sixth day on Wednesday.

Talking to the media after the meeting, JI Naib Ameer Liaquat Baloch said the government team showed seriousness to address their demands and promised to make positive progress in that connection. “All four members of the government committee, who met the JI negotiating team, agreed to our demands and none of them differed with us and promised to make positive progress,” Baloch said.

He said the government team comprising Federal Minister Amir Muqam and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry MNA sought more time for positive progress.

Baloch, however, said the JI leadership rejected the government request to end sit-in and continue talks. “But we made it clear to them that sit-in will not end and talks will also continue,” he added.

He said it was made clear to the government team that the JI would not back out on its demands of revision of agreements with the IPPs [independent power producers] and reduction in tariffs of electricity and other demands. “We could have suspended process of dialogue had the government team not shown seriousness today,” he added. Baloch said the JI preferred the national agenda over the party agenda and decided to stage sit-in.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had led the government team in the first round of talks with the JI on Sunday. “We were told that the information minister could not come because he was busy in some assignment given to him by the prime minister,” he said.

Expressing his anger and grief over martyrdom of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, he said Jamaat had postponed its programme of sit-in in Karachi and other parts of the country for the time being.

Minister Amir Muqam said the government, too, wanted to reduce prices of electricity, petrol and flour. Some of the JI demands were practical and needed to be implemented, he added.

Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said dialogue had happened in a pleasant atmosphere and the prime minister also wanted that the people be given relief. He said the government would serve people more than the resources it had.

The JI demands include abolition of petroleum development levy on all petroleum products and withdrawal of latest increase in prices of these products, 20pc reduction in prices of food commodities, electricity and gas tariffs, renegotiation of agreements with the independent power producers (IPPs), end clause of agreement with the IPPs on making payments in US dollars, 50pc discount should be granted to power consumers using up to 500 units, reduction in taxes on agriculture and industrial sectors besides decreasing their financial burden by 50pc, ensuring incentives to industrial sector, trade and investment to provide employment to youth, withdrawal of increase in taxes on the salaried class and imposition of taxes on the privileged class, cut in non-development expenses by 35pc and withdrawal of all taxes on stationery and other items used in education and training of children.