JI leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman. PHOTO: ARCHIVE
KARACHI:
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday accused provincial governments of systematically undermining the local government system, warning that continued violations of constitutional devolution were eroding democracy and deepening urban governance crises, particularly in Karachi.
Addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq, the headquarters of JI Karachi, Hafiz Naeem said provincial authorities had become “the main obstacle to empowering the local government system”, despite clear constitutional guarantees.
He said: “Article 140 A of the Constitution emphasizes devolution of powers, but it is widely violated due to politics and corruption.”
Taking aim at Sindh’s ruling party, the JI leader said the relationship between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) was driven by convenience rather than public interest, alleging that their conflicts “are merely contrived dramas to mislead the public”.
He added that the public had rejected both parties, claiming that the PPP was expressing its frustration over electoral setbacks through hostility towards Karachi.
Hafiz Naeem claimed that “the PPP government has already consumed Rs 3.36 billion belonging to Karachi”, questioning where the city’s reduced 15 to 20 percent share under the Octroi and Zila Tax (OZT) was being spent and lamenting the absence of accountability.
Referring to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, he asked if “Bilawal’s vision was to turn Karachi into Mohenjo-daro”, stating that launching a few buses would never solve the city’s deep transport crisis.
