Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman on Thursday said that Punjab had awakened, and the rising demand for an empowered local government system would soon spread across the country.
He said this while talking to journalists during his visit to a polling camp in Township, Lahore. He made the visit on the first day of the four-day public referendum on the Punjab Local Government Act.
Rehman said that a large number of men and women actively participated in the referendum. He announced that, in the light of the referendum’s outcome, Jamaat-e-Islami would stage sit-in in front of Punjab Assembly. He added that the protest would continue until the rulers withdraw the “black law.”
JI Referendum on Punjab Local Government Act:
The JI claimed that for the referendum, the JI formed independent referendum commissions at the centre and in all districts of Punjab. It appointed Ahmed Bilal Mehboob as Chief Election Commissioner. To facilitate free public expression, the JI set up thousands of polling camps at intersections, streets, markets, educational institutions and other public places. It established around 1,400 camps in Lahore and thousands in other districts.
Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said the first day of the referendum witnessed great enthusiasm, with a large turnout of men and women recording their opinions. He demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Punjab Local Government Act. Rehman termed the act an insult to democracy and the people. He called for the announcement of a date for local government elections.
The JI Emir said the rulers have deprived the people of Punjab of grassroots governance for the last ten years. The rulers, he added, amended the local government law repeatedly. They changed the local government law of Islamabad five times. It reflected what he described as the ruling elite’s reluctance to devolve power. He added that provincial governments remained obsessed with holding authority. The local government system in other provinces remained also virtually non-existent, he added.
Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman:
Criticising ruling families, the JI chief said they did not want the people to be empowered, preferring to retain power like “kings and queens” surrounded by loyalists. He alleged that political workers were also denied authority within their own parties, saying Jamaat-e-Islami was challenging dynastic politics and standing firmly in the field for the rights of the people, both nationally and globally.
Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman further criticised provisions in the Punjab Local Government Act related to non-party-based elections. He called them a deviation from the Constitution and democratic norms. Rehman said that under the law, even a union council chairman would not be elected through a direct vote. The act emphasised that UC chairman must join a political party within a month, a move he claimed was aimed at extending the practice of horse-trading—seen in the Senate and National Assembly—down to the grassroots level.
He said local governments and student unions were considered the nurseries of democracy. But both remained banned in Pakistan, he added.
“We will not accept this black law under any circumstances,” he said. Rehman added that the struggle for strengthening democracy would continue with full force.
