Naeem demands caretaker govt approve budget for towns ruled by JI

Karachi Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has demanded that the Sindh caretaker government approve budget for the nine town municipal corporations in the city run by the JI.

He made the demand while addressing a press conference at the Idara Noor-e-Haq, the JI Karachi headquarters, on Friday. JI leaders Raja Arif Sultan and Zahid Askari flanked him at the press conference.

Rehman admonished the caretaker government saying that it had proved itself to be the continuation of the previous ruling regime as it had approved the budget of only those towns in Karachi that were won by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

He said the Election Commission of Pakistan had on May 9, 2022, issued a letter clarifying that no one could contest the local government elections out of his or her town but later the same ECP facilitated the PPP's Murtaza Wahab contesting the polls from outside his town in violation of its own rules.

The JI leader alleged that Wahab had been canvassing for votes in total violation of the Section B-16 of the rules and regulations for local government elections. The ECP had played the role of the A-team of the PPP, Rehman said, calling the PPP a fascist party.

He said Wahab had mocked democracy by thanking the people of Ibrahim Hyderi as all fascist tactics, including abduction and open threats, had been employed to ensure that he was elected unopposed.

Rehman said the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan jointly played a nefarious role against Karachi and its people by notifying a flawed census, which was tantamount to ambush on the due rights of over 30 million residents of the city.

He also deplored the street crime in Karachi saying that police reforms were the only way forward in this regard. He demanded that the authorities purge the police department of black sheep and induct locals to ensure better policing. On the burning issue of Palestine, Rehman lamented that the leaders of the Muslim world had not been playing their due role.

He demanded that the political and military leaderships of the Muslim countries play an active and effective role for the protection of the Palestinian people instead of issuing mere statements. He announced that the JI's campaign for the Palestinians and their leadership would continue and the party would also hold a children march against Israel in Karachi.