Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, head of JI. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday accused provincial governments of systematically undermining the local government system, warning that continued violations of constitutional decentralization were eroding democracy and worsening 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 the empowerment of the local government system”, despite clear constitutional guarantees.
He said: “Article 140 A of the Constitution emphasizes decentralization of powers, but it is widely violated due to politics and corruption. »
Taking aim at the ruling party in Sindh, the JI leader said relations between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) were driven by opportunism rather than public interest, alleging that their conflicts “are nothing but contrived dramas meant to deceive the public”.
He added that the public had rejected both parties, alleging 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 trillion belonging to Karachi”, questioning where the city’s reduced 15-20 per cent share under the Octroi and Zila Tax (OZT) was being spent and lamenting the lack of accountability.
Referring to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, he asked whether “Bilawal’s vision was to transform Karachi into Mohenjo-daro”, saying that inaugurating a few buses would never solve the city’s deep-rooted transport crisis.
