Karachi, August 19, 2024: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan Ameer Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has warned the ruling elite to grant substantial relief to the nation or face the music as the party is going to observe a strike on August 28 whereas a mass mobilization campaign was on cards, apart from the four major public conventions held in various cities during the past 11 days.
The JI supreme leader expressed these views while addressing a press conference held at Idara Noor-e-Haq — the JI Karachi headquarters, here on Monday. He was flanked by JI Pakistan Deputy Ameer Osama Razi, JI Karachi Ameer Munem Zafar and others. The JI leader talked in depth about the long standing burning issues of Karachi.
Speaking on the occasion, he said that a political emperor had announced Rs14 per unit relief for two months in Punjab only which was nothing but peanuts. He demanded a durable relief and that too for the entire nation.
He said that the JI had signed a 45-day accord, whereas only 34 days have left. He added that the JI will take the youth onboard during the days to come and caravans from each and every corner of the country will march towards Islamabad, if the government didn’t fulfill the agreement in letter and spirit.
On the occasion, he shed light in detail on the local bodies’ issues of Karachi. He highlighted that the Pakistan People Party’s government in Sindh has captured all the considerable powers of the local government setup in open defiance of the Constitution of Pakistan.
He elaborated that the Constitution had clearly mentioned that administrative, monetary and political powers will be devolved to the local governments.
On the other hand, he said, the elected chairmen were kept deprived of powers to handle solid waste from roads, the water board was out of their ambit of powers, the transport department all kept also out of their ambit, similarly the master plan and development authorities were kept out of their control.
Neither the PPP delivers in Karachi, not it let anyone other to do so, he said. The JI leader further said that the PPP just takes shelter of democratic slogans, otherwise it is a party of fascism in its core.
He highlighted that it spends billions of rupees on advertisements, whereas on the ground the post rain situation in interior areas of the province was an eye-opener for the nation.
Similarly, he said, the patchwork on roads in Karachi cost billions of rupees of taxpayers’ money last year but before the fresh spell of rains, not even a single road was in shape.
He further said that the water corporation has to pay liabilities worth billions of dollars to international monetary institutions. He raised the point where did the water corporation send the hefty amount.
He made it clear that the JI has been playing its due role and as per its promises the JI has been serving Karachiites even beyond it mandate and capacity.
Further talking about the issues surrounding Karachi — once the city of light, he said that the K-Electric has ruined the mega city. He said that the KE emerged as the worst face of privatization. He added that during the past 19 years, the company’s power generation has reduced by staggering 20 percent.
It is on the top across Pakistan when it comes to line losses, the power generation plants were dilapidating, he said, adding that the company was imposing itself on Karachiites with the help of corruption and a lunatic nexus among the KE, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority and the government.
