PESHAWAR: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and its affiliated organisations staged rallies, protests and arranged seminars across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday to condemn the rising inflation and press the government to implement the minimum wage and provide immediate relief to the people.
The events were organised Marking International Workers Day on the call of JI central chief Engineer Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, with demonstrations staged in various parts of the country, including the central districts of KP.
The protesters expressed concern over the continuous increase in prices of petroleum products and electricity, prolonged load-shedding, closure of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations and the imposition of taxes on solar systems.
In Peshawar, a protest rally was organised outside the Peshawar Press Club. JI provincial general secretary Sabir Hussain Awan, former provincial minister Hafiz Hashmat Khan, and city Ameer Hafiz Hameedullah Advocate led the demonstration.
A large number of traders, workers, and people from different walks of life attended the rally. The protesters were chanting slogans against the federal and provincial governments.Speakers on the occasion criticised the government for ‘mishandling’ the energy crisis, terming it a result of flawed policies and poor decision-making.
They said the burden of the crisis was being unfairly shifted onto the public. They also criticised the closure of educational institutions for three days a week and termed it detrimental to students’ future.
The speakers demanded an immediate reduction in the prices of fuel, electricity, and essential commodities, restoration of CNG stations, withdrawal of taxes on solar systems, and provision of relief to the people. They warned that protests would be expanded if their demands were not met.
In Mardan, JI KP (Central) ameer Abdul Wasi, accompanied by district ameer Ghulam Rasool, addressed a rally on Bank Road against the alleged “cruel increase” in petroleum prices. He accused the government of using global conditions as a pretext to impose new taxes on the poor masses to make their life more difficult.
The JI leader said the government’s economic policies had pushed the masses into severe hardship, adding that while the ruling elite continued to increase their own privileges and salaries, the common people was being burdened with additional taxes instead of being provided relief.
He alleged that despite public differences, both federal and provincial governments were aligned in implementing anti-people policies.Meanwhile, the National Labour Federation (NLF), a JI-affiliated body, organised a seminar at the Peshawar Press Club in connection with Labour Day. The event was attended by labour leaders and workers from across the province.
Addressing the seminar, Al-Khidmat Foundation KP President Khalid Waqas said that despite repeated legislation fixing the minimum wage at Rs40,000, workers were still deprived of their basic rights. He noted that many labourers were not even earning Rs30,000 per month.
