Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has said that provincial governments are unwilling to devolve powers to the grassroots level. He warned that the current local government framework in Punjab reflects a shift away from democratic norms.
He was speaking to journalists outside the Lahore High Court. Rehman earlier attended court hearing on the party’s petition against the Punjab local government law. Rehman said the JI has formally challenged legislation for being inconsistent with the Constitution.
He said that the provincial government was avoiding local body elections. The JI emir said the government was attempting to introduce a system in which the people will elect councillors on a non-party basis. It deprived citizens of meaningful representation at the union council level.
“The proposed law restricts people from electing their representatives freely at the grassroots level,” he said, adding that the government was undermining the spirit of democracy.
Punjab govt is authoritarian:
The JI chief further said that instead of strengthening democratic institutions, the provincial setup was concentrating authority at the top. “An impression of authoritarianism is emerging in Punjab as the rulers are not willing to transfer power downward,” he remarked.
He criticised mainstream political parties, particularly Pakistan Muslim League (N). Rehman said the rulers were not serious about holding local government elections, which has resulted in unresolved public issues at the community level. He added that such parties operated on familial lines and did not allow new leadership to emerge within their ranks.
Rehman said the court proceedings showed positive progress. He noted that the bench had indicated the case should not face unnecessary delays, raising expectations of an early hearing.
He demanded that a new local government law be introduced to ensure genuine public representation and effective devolution of powers. “A transparent and empowered local government system is essential for strengthening democracy,” he added.
The JI emir also expressed concern over the ongoing electricity crisis, saying prolonged load-shedding had made life difficult for citizens. Rehman noted that despite an installed generation capacity of around 49,000 megawatts, power outages continued for hours in various parts of the country.
He urged the government to take immediate and effective measures to address issues in the energy sector and provide relief to the public.
