KARACHI  -  Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Ameer Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has demanded that authorities release salaries of Port Qasim Authority employees that have not been paid for nine months.

Addressing the sit-in by the employees, Hafiz Naeem said that thousands of employees and their families were suffering due to non-payment of salaries. He said the JI fully supported the employees’ demands and added that all pending salaries should be released at the earliest. The representatives of National Labour Federation and other office bearers were also present on the occasion.

The protesters were carrying placards and banners, demanding that the authorities concerned establish the doc labour board.

Earlier, talking to the media, the JI leader lambasted the federal government for increasing gas prices, saying that this would affect the common man. Terming the hike as anti-people, he said that it would lead to an increase in transport fare and prices of commodities.

“The new federal government has dropped inflation bomb on the common man and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s claims of change have not been materialised,” Hafiz Naeem added.

He said that there were already transport issues in Karachi and the possible hike in fare would surely add to miseries of people. Transport owners had recently increased fare unlawfully but their act went unnoticed but now people cannot afford further hike in fare. “CNG station owners have already increased gas price by Rs22 per kilogram on their own and no one stops them from doing so,” said the JI leader.

He was of the view that the increase in gas prices would also hurt small restaurant owners and people and the labourers would have to buy meals on much higher rates.

“The incumbent government has adopted the policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and increased the prices of gas and electricity. The real change can only be brought about by pulling the country out of the sway of IMF and the United States,” he said.

He was of the view that an increase in gas prices would directly affect the common man as prices of essential commodities would also increase. The JI leader asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to recall the gas prices to provide some sort of relief to people.