Party’s annual three-day congregation begins at Lahore’s historic Minar-e-Pakistan
JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman addresses the inaugural session of the party’s three-day congregation beginning at the historic Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore. Photo:
Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the prevailing political and constitutional agitation regarding the 27th Constitutional Amendment had intensified public anxiety and created new challenges to the fundamental rights of citizens and the governance structure. He added that his party did not seek power through conspiracies and would not participate in any electoral process that was not transparent.
Addressing the inaugural session of the party’s three-day annual congregation at Lahore’s historic Minar-e-Pakistan, he said Pakistan, at this critical juncture, needed clear direction and unwavering constitutional supremacy so that every citizen could feel part of a just and equitable system.
Describing the gathering at the Greater Iqbal Park as a symbol of unity, Naeem noted that thousands of participants from across the country had turned it into a disciplined congregation of unparalleled scale. He stated that the organizational standards demonstrated at the venue reflected the tireless work of thousands of volunteers, ensuring facilities for all attendees, including women, and creating an administrative model that he believed no political party or government could replicate.
Referring to the ideological and historical foundations of JI, he said the movement started by Syed Abul A’la Maududi had become a broad-based effort dedicated to the establishment of a just social order. He stressed that JI should not be seen simply as a political party driven by personal interests or controlled by influential families or institutions, but rather as a religious and social movement committed to service across sectarian and communal divides.
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Commenting on global politics, Naeem criticized the concentration of economic power in the hands of a small global elite and pointed to what he described as destabilizing US policies.
He said protracted wars and unwavering support for Israel had deepened humanitarian crises in several regions, while the use of veto powers internationally had hindered justice for oppressed communities. He argued that no unjust system could be sustained indefinitely and urged the Muslim world, including Pakistan, to play a more active role in shaping a more just global order.
Talking about Kashmir and Palestine, the JI chief said Pakistan must continue to defend its principled stance and at the same time maintained that JI had always stood by the State in difficult times even when the party disagreed with the establishment. He added that there could be no compromise on Kashmir and that the Palestinian issue had long been central to political discourse in the subcontinent.
On internal governance, Naeem argued that Pakistan’s system had remained for decades in the grip of entrenched power structures that limited citizens’ rights. He said the combined influence of landlords, capitalists and bureaucracy had deprived ordinary people of education, employment, justice and inheritance rights.
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According to him, deep class divisions had negatively affected children’s education and women’s rights, holding back national progress. The JI chief criticized the state’s neglect towards regions like Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, linking lingering local grievances with long-standing administrative failures.
He added that JI will continue to stand up for farmers, workers and youth on all platforms. He also pointed out the recurring agricultural crisis in Punjab and what he called the damaging role of various mafias.
Pakistan, he noted, did not belong to a single individual but to the millions who sacrificed for independence. To lead the nation out of despair, he said a comprehensive political and social roadmap would be announced on the third day of the congregation, and the movement would continue nationwide thereafter.
He concluded that Pakistan could not progress without an equitable system and that no force could obstruct a united public once it decided to assert its rights. Jamaat-e-Islami Deputy Chief Liaquat Baloch Dr Osama Razi, General Secretary Ameer ul Azeem and others also spoke in the session. Thousands of participants, including women and children, have traveled from all over the country to attend the congregation, which will conclude on Sunday afternoon.
