Provincial governments' main hurdle in empowering the LG system, says Naeemur Rehman

Provincial governments' main hurdle in empowering the LG system, says Naeemur Rehman

Says Article 140 A of the Constitution emphasizes devolution of powers, but it is violated in all provinces

PPP, MQM duo is based on mutual interests, conflicts mere drama to mislead masses, says JI chief

JI supreme leader condemns US terrorism against Venezuela

KARACHI: JANUARY 4: Jamaat-e-islami (JI) Pakistan Ameer Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has dubbed provincial governments the main hurdle in empowering the local government system and said that the Article 140 A of the constitution emphasizes on the devolution of powers but it is widely violated because of politics and corruption.


The JI supreme leader expressed these views while addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq, the JI Karachi headquarters, here on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion, he said the relationship between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has always been based on mutual interests, and their conflicts are merely artificial dramas to deceive the public. The people have completely rejected both parties, which is why the PPP is venting its frustration over not receiving votes in the form of hostility towards Karachi.

Hafiz Naeem said that the PPP government has already consumed Rs 3,360 billion belonging to Karachi. He questioned where the reduced 15 to 20 percent share of Karachi in the Octroi and Zila Tax (OZT) was being spent, saying there was no accountability.

Referring to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s claims about Bilawal Bhutto’s vision, he asked whether Bilawal’s vision was to turn Karachi into Mohenjo-daro. He said that inaugurating a few buses would never solve Karachi’s serious transport problems.

He further stated that selling profitable national institutions would not solve problems, rather the government must answer why these institutions were sold. The situation, he said, is such that the government is now even trying to rid itself of public schools. He alleged that if the funds and development projects of the Punjab government were scrutinized, corruption worth thousands of billions of rupees would come to light, while the overall condition of Sindh was already extremely distressing.

Speaking about Punjab, Hafiz Naeem said that the last local government elections there were held in 2012, and the status of a metropolitan city like Lahore had been reduced to that of a town. Chairmen and vice-chairmen would not be elected directly by the people, and even councilor elections were being turned into a marketplace.

He said local government elections in Balochistan, Quetta, Punjab and Islamabad were postponed. Jamaat-e-Islami will launch a public referendum in Punjab from January 15, and strong protests are continuing against the oppressive local government act of the Punjab government.

Hafiz Naeem said Pakistan’s electoral system has not remained transparent, proportional representation does not exist in the current system, and no major political party is raising its voice for electoral reforms. Elections, he said, have now become a means of occupation, as seen in the seizure of the Karachi mayoralty. He warned that when public trust in democracy erodes, the consequences will be dangerous, and that accepting the people’s mandate is essential to overcome crises.

He said the K-IV project has been badly distorted and its capacity reduced to the extent that even if completed, it would meet only 40 percent of Karachi’s needs. He added that since 2012, multiple inaugurations of the Karachi Circular Railway have taken place, yet no train has run to date, while the S-III project has remained incomplete for 18 years.

He held the mayor directly responsible for all failures of the water corporation, adding that the mayor should instead be grateful for the work being done by Jamaat-e-Islami town chairmen. He said the people of Karachi are asking how long their children will continue to fall into open sewers.

On the international landscape, he said that the United States, once again violating all international laws, carried out an attack on the residence of the President of Venezuela and his wife, which he termed open terrorism.

He said the US is heading towards decline and strong reactions against President Trump are emerging within America itself, but it is unfortunate that Pakistan’s government has not taken a clear stance on this open aggression.

On one hand, he said, the Prime Minister of Pakistan repeatedly nominates the US President for the Nobel Prize, while on the other hand, the US continues to interfere in the internal affairs of countries around the world.

Hafiz Naeem stated that Israel has martyred more than 80,000 Palestinians over the past two years, and that Israeli aggression in Gaza has full US patronage, including billions of dollars worth of weapons. He said all claims of democracy and human rights have been buried in Gaza, and now the entire world must rise against imperialist powers. He stressed that Pakistan’s army should under no circumstances be sent to Gaza, warning that if this happened, the army would not face Israel but the fighters of Hamas, which would be unacceptable.