JI Chief rejects sacrificing national dignity to please Trump, announces post-Eid protest drive

5گھنٹے پہلے

JI Chief rejects sacrificing national dignity to please Trump, announces post-Eid protest drive
Lahore, Feb 21: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman on Saturday strongly rejected any move to compromise Pakistan’s national dignity for the sake of pleasing US President Donald Trump, warning that such a policy shift, particularly on Palestine, was unacceptable.
Addressing a press conference at Mansoorah on Saturday, Rehman criticised the prime minister’s participation in the so-called peace board meeting on Gaza and the decision to send Pakistani troops, calling it a blow to national honour. He said the Form-47 government was both incompetent and unpopular, and announced that Jamaat-e-Islami would launch a nationwide protest movement after Eid against unilateral government decisions, unfair Independent Power Producer (IPP) agreements, and the absence of an effective local government system.
The JI chief also lambasted Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for purchasing a luxury aircraft worth Rs11 billion at a time when poverty in Punjab had surged to 42 percent. He said the province was facing acute challenges, including rising poverty, farmers’ distress, the privatisation of government schools, and a deep governance crisis, yet the ruling elite continued to indulge in extravagance.
Rehman said overall poverty in Pakistan had reached 31 percent, while in Punjab it stood at 42 percent. He noted that over 11,000 government schools had been privatised, leaving around 10 million children out of school. Despite announcing a support price of Rs3,900 per maund, the Punjab government had failed to procure wheat from farmers, he added, leaving small growers in deep uncertainty.
He further criticised the government’s economic policies, stating that electricity prices had not fallen despite revised IPP agreements, while cuts in net-metering rates had created anxiety among traders and consumers. He said Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were witnessing growing unrest, widening the gap between the public and security institutions, and that governance failures were evident across all four provinces.
On foreign policy, Rehman said both the government and opposition appeared fearful of Trump, questioning how Pakistani rulers could refuse his demands. He termed the Foreign Office’s explanation regarding Pakistan Army’s possible role in Gaza as illogical, stressing that Pakistan should refuse to become part of any such board without parliamentary debate and cabinet approval. He urged the government to advocate strongly for Palestine and Kashmir at the United Nations and questioned Trump’s unfulfilled promise of mediation on Kashmir.
Responding to journalists’ questions, the JI chief demanded the release of all political prisoners, including former prime minister Imran Khan, and called for ensuring full medical facilities for him. He also asked Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to choose between holding ministerial office and heading the Pakistan Cricket Board, saying the dismantling of institutional cricket deepened the crisis in the sport and depriving poor youth of opportunities.
He also welcomed Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh’s electoral success, congratulating it for securing a record 27.5 million votes.