Addressing participants of the ongoing sit-in against the petroleum levy and rising inflation, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the protest was not merely a 10-day sit-in but the beginning of a broader movement.
He said Sunday was the second day of the sit-ins and that people across the country, including Balochistan, were hearing the protesters' message. He said the movement represented not only Jamaat-e-Islami but also the voice of the people.
Hafiz Naeem described the sit-in as a rehearsal for a larger struggle, saying participants were moving forward successfully. He criticised the country's political leadership, saying rulers had experimented with different political arrangements, bringing one person to power, then another and another, only to later declare that they were dissatisfied with them.
Criticising the judicial system, Hafiz Naeem said around 2.4 million cases were currently pending in Pakistan's courts and people were not receiving justice. He described the existing system as outdated and said it could no longer continue.
He said Pakistan was not created for any individual military leader or political figure, but for the implementation of a system based on Islamic principles. He added that the country was not the property of Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Asif Ali Zardari or any other political leader, describing it instead as the Pakistan of its martyrs.
Jamaat-e-Islami had staged protests at more than 500 locations across the country last week against increases in petroleum prices and the petroleum levy. The party had postponed the sit-ins because of Independence Day celebrations and announced August 16 as the date for nationwide sit-ins.
Meanwhile, in anticipation of the protests, security and administrative measures were put in place at provincial headquarters to prevent demonstrators from entering restricted areas.
