Addressing a public gathering in Okara, Hafiz Naeem said the government was mistaken if it believed governor’s rule and emergency would resolve the situation in the province. He said the government had brought trouble upon itself through these decisions.

He also congratulated Jamaat-e-Islami’s district chief and his team on organising the gathering, saying the event would shape the course of politics in Punjab.

Hafiz Naeem said Jamaat-e-Islami had given a voice to people’s problems at a time when, according to him, no one was raising concerns over their hardships.

Criticising the government’s economic policies, he described the burden on the public as economic terrorism and called for an end to it. He also criticised the petroleum levy, calling it a form of extortion and saying it was unrelated to fuel prices.

He alleged that the ruling elite was shifting the burden of corruption and extravagant spending onto the public, making life increasingly difficult for ordinary citizens.

The Jamaat-e-Islami chief said party workers had staged sit-ins simultaneously in 42 cities, creating new hope across the country. He added that the party’s long march had been temporarily paused, but its workers remained prepared to resume it.

Hafiz Naeem said the government had provided some relief following the party’s protest movement, but the measures were insufficient. He claimed the government was providing relief worth up to Rs27 billion per month while collecting Rs150 billion through the petroleum levy.

He also recalled Jamaat-e-Islami’s campaign against independent power producers (IPPs), saying the party had raised the issue before it received wider public attention.

He alleged that successive governments had strengthened IPPs through unfair agreements, leaving consumers to bear the cost of electricity generation as well as payments for electricity that was not produced.

Hafiz Naeem also criticised the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party, accusing them of undermining public interests.

Reiterating his opposition to governor’s rule and emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he urged the government to resolve political disputes through dialogue rather than the use of force.

He demanded that both measures be withdrawn and negotiations resumed among all relevant stakeholders.