MINGORA: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan amir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman alleged on Friday that there was only token democracy in the country and that people were facing difficulties in every sphere of life.
Addressing a public gathering in Sawari town of Buner, he said his party was leading a protest movement as the voice of the people, claiming that the relief announced by the incumbent government was insufficient and that inflation and taxes had made life miserable for the poor.
He said the 11.5 per cent interest rate had damaged the national economy, while a few influential individuals were benefiting from the federal government and the poor continued to suffer.
Hafiz Naeem said Jamaat-e-Islami believed in negotiations but could not wait indefinitely. “If Jamaat-e-Islami marched towards Islamabad, it would not return without having its demands accepted,” he added.
He said party workers were ready to march on Islamabad and would head towards the capital in large numbers.The Jamaat chief alleged that around 400 marble factories in Buner had been closed because of taxes, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of people.
Hafiz Naeem alleged that the incumbent government had not come to power through the votes of the people. “Various mafias have been imposed on the country,” he alleged, adding that Jamaat-e-Islami’s ongoing movement would achieve its objectives.He criticised Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz over the reported purchase of an expensive aircraft, describing it as adding insult to the injuries of the poor.
