Ameer (head) of the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JI) Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has departed for Qatar to attend the funeral of the Palestinian freedom fighter group Hamas' martyred head Ismail Haniyeh. According to media reports, the head of the Jamaat-e-Islami negotiation team Liaquat Baloch has become the acting ameer of the party in the absence of Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman. Speaking to the media on Friday morning, Acting Ameer and head of the Jamaat-e-Islami negotiation team Liaquat Baloch said taxes on the salaries of private and government employees are unacceptable.

He said the JI sit-in protest against inflation and the high power tariff in Rawalpindi has now entered its second week with the support of the masses as protests and rallies are part of politics in Pakistan.  Liaquat Baloch called for a forensic audit of IPPs (Independent Power Producers), asserting that their agenda is based on public interest rather than personal gain.  He mentioned that under his leadership, the negotiation team has completed two rounds of talks and has thoroughly informed the government's technical committee of their concerns. Yesterday, addressing the protesters, JI chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said that JI workers can easily reach D Chowk for the acceptance of their demands but JI leadership does not want to indulge in drama with the police.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan