Hafiz Naeem says mere confessions over 'failure' not enough, actions needed to fix ‘system’

Hafiz Naeem says mere confessions over 'failure' not enough, actions needed to fix ‘system’

Says prioritising Constitution only way forward for smooth sailing of affairs

Says electoral mandate was undermined, decries petroleum levy, governance failures

Welcomes Makkah agreement, suggests inclusion of other Muslim countries

Highlights Mir Raza Ali case, says it further exposes Sindh govt

KARACHI, Aug 11: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said that merely acknowledging the failure of the country’s system was not enough and that those responsible must take practical steps to fix it.
Addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-i-Haq on Tuesday, he described the recent local government elections in Karachi and the denial of the people’s mandate in the 2024 general elections as fresh examples of the system’s “incompetence and failure”.
He said all the country’s problems could be resolved if the Constitution was upheld as the supreme law.
Naeemur Rehman announced that the JI would stage sit-ins outside governor houses in Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta, and outside the Punjab chief minister’s house in Lahore on Aug 16 against the petroleum levy and what he termed the government’s failure to address public grievances.
He urged workers of all religious and political parties to join the protests, saying peaceful political resistance was the need of the hour.
The JI chief claimed that the government had collected Rs1.9 trillion in petroleum levy in one year, calling it an “unbearable burden” on the people. He said citizens across the country had taken to the streets against the levy and other taxes, while protesters had ensured that ambulances were given passage at hundreds of locations.
He also criticised the Federal Board of Revenue, saying around 25,000 people worked there while hundreds of officers enjoyed official vehicles worth millions of rupees and free fuel, yet tax targets remained unmet.
He said that the incumbent government had come to power through “Form 47” rather than the genuine public vote. Referring to Karachi’s National Assembly election results, he said that 15 seats had been given to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and seven to the Pakistan Peoples Party, raising serious questions about the electoral system.
He said the issue of creating new administrative units should be resolved in accordance with the people’s wishes and the Constitution.
He also criticised the Sindh government, accusing it of incompetence and corruption and over HIV spreading in the province.
Referring to the Mir Raza Ali case, he said it had exposed shortcomings in the police and the wider state system. He praised the people of Karachi and Mr Ali’s struggle, as well as the youth for raising their voices over the issue.
He questioned the provincial government’s ability to provide justice to ordinary citizens, saying that if the PPP government had failed to arrest those responsible for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, it could not be expected to deliver justice to ordinary people.
Discussing regional affairs, the JI chief described the Makkah agreement as an important step towards Muslim unity. He called for Iran, Qatar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, Bangladesh and other Muslim countries to be gradually included in the initiative to establish a stronger Muslim alliance.
Such an alliance, he said, should develop its own defence capabilities, prevent enemies from exploiting divisions among Muslim countries, and take joint measures to promote trade and economic cooperation.
Rehman said Israel continued to attack Gaza despite a ceasefire and accused the United States of providing full backing to Israel. He called on Muslim countries to make it clear that further Israeli aggression against Palestinians would receive a strong response.
Turning to domestic economic issues, he said increases in petroleum prices triggered a surge in the prices of essential commodities. According to the government, he said, petrol was priced at Rs327 per litre, with around Rs130 being collected in taxes, including about Rs80 in petroleum levy and other duties, while the government had put the basic price at Rs197.
He said the petroleum levy had originally been intended to improve refineries, but insufficient funds had been spent for that purpose.
Had even Rs1.5bn to Rs2bn from the levy been allocated to upgrading refineries, he argued, Pakistan could have saved billions of dollars on its import bill. He alleged that not even Rs1bn had been spent on the stated objective and held successive governments responsible.
He said conditions in Sindh were evident to everyone, while agriculture in Punjab was also in distress and the state of government schools remained alarming.
“How long will Punjab be governed by citing the example of Sindh?” he asked.
JI Karachi chief Monem Zafar, KMC opposition leader Saifuddin Advocate, Karachi vice chief Muslim Pervez, General Secretary Taufiquddin Siddiqui, and information secretary Zahid Askari were also present at the press conference.