As Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan’s sit-in in Islamabad enters its second day, about 100,000 JI activists are spread across the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. JI has put forward specific demands to the government to give relief to the common man, who is now buried under the rubble of economic hardships. Electricity prices are unbearable, prices of fuel, groceries, and household items, have made life miserable.
The burden of ever-increasing taxes is borne by the salaried classes, while the feudal class and property barons feel no responsibility to share the tax burden. The royal generosity accorded to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in their contracts is a conspicuous example of rampant corruption involving public money. Religiously following IMF conditionalities has made the economy hostage to foreign dictates instead of genuine domestic imperatives. The economy is crippled by debt repayment instead of having fiscal room for incentivizing export-oriented industrialization.
The lack of funds for education and the neglect of strategic sectors like IT have dashed the hopes of the young generation and moved them into despair. The rent-seeking political and economic elite of Pakistan must understand that the economy and the country itself will become unsustainable if they do not change their behavior and approach towards this country.
On top of all this, there are political and security concerns arising from compromising the constitution, democracy, judicial process, and governance as a whole. This country is in need of a paradigm shift in governance and economic management. The colonial mindset inherited by the ruling elite has to give way to an approach of public service and social welfare. A country of 240 million people cannot be left to the wishes and whims of an elitist coterie of politicians, generals, and bureaucrats.
Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan is in the capital with a peaceful, democratic and constitution approach. Their demands are neither partisan nor ideological, Instead, they are voicing the thoughts emanating from the hearts and minds of the people of Pakistan. It is proper for the government to show a sense of responsibility and engage in dialogue before its too late.
Asif Luqman Qazi,
Director Foreign Affairs,
Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan
