Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has stated that his party will not join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) grand alliance since history has shown that opposition parties utilize such forums for self-interest.
While giving an interview to a private news channel, Naeem said, "We will take the same stance as the opposition parties on some issues and meet with them, but we will not form an alliance."
PTI senior leader Asad Qaiser has stated that detained party founder Imran Khan has approved the formation of a "grand opposition alliance" in which all opposition parties will "gather to run a powerful anti-government movement."
The PTI leader also stated that they support the JI's sit-in over the significant increase in electricity costs.
The JI is also protesting and taking to the streets over rising power bills and hefty taxes. In an effort to put an end to the Rawalpindi sit-in, the government is negotiating with the party to address their issues.
The JI chief said, "The government also thinks we came here for a day or two, but let me tell them: we will not leave until our demands are met."
Naeem noted that the government's "lack of seriousness" is evident in the discussions, but his party communicated its reservations in the most effective way.
"The government officials requested that we end the sit-in, but we asked them to show us the IPPs' (Independent Power Producers) contracts," he said.
"We believe there is something dubious in the IPPs' contracts," stated the JI head, adding that his party will continue to organize sit-ins if their demands are not satisfied.
Hafiz Naeem reaffirmed that, in light of previous experiences, his party would not join any coalition; rather, it would do all possible to help the masses.