Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) organized nationwide protest demonstrations on Sunday against the high cost of electricity, prolonged load shedding, and an anti-people budget. These protests, held at the call of JI Emir Engineer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, marked the commencement of the first phase of a peaceful national resistance movement. Large number of people participated in the rallies across major cities including Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi-Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Faisalabad, and Multan, as well as numerous small cities. According to reports, JI vice-Emir Liaqat Baloch led the protest in Rawalpindi, Secretary General Ameerul Azim in Gujrat, JI Emir Punjab South Rao Zafar at the Multan Press Club, JI Emir Punjab Central Javed Kasuri in Kasur, JI Emir Balochistan Maulana Abdul Haq in Quetta, JI Emir KP Professor Ibrahim in Peshawar, JI Secretary General KP Abdul Waseh in Mardan, JI Emir Lahore Ziauddin Ansari Advocate in Lahore, JI Emir Karachi Munam Zafar at Kala Pull in Karachi, JI Emir Sargodha Awais Qasim in Sargodha, and JI Emir Sheikhupura Rana Tuhfa Dastgir in Sheikhupura. Meanwhile, a delegation from the Young Doctors Association, led by its president Dr. Atif Chaudhry, met with JI Emir Engineer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman at Mansoorah.
