Islamabad
Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab, Dr. Tariq Saleem, has announced that Jamaat-e-Islami will hold a public referendum across Punjab on January 15 against what he termed the “black law” of the local government act.
Addressing a consultative meeting of district, zonal and union council office-bearers in Rawalpindi, Dr. Tariq Saleem said Jamaat-e-Islami has a long history of public service through local government institutions. He added that even today, the party’s elected local government representatives continue to serve the people despite limited resources and curtailed powers.
He said the referendum is being held on the call of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman to protest the Local Government Act, which, according to him, undermines the public mandate. Criticizing the decision to hold local government elections on a non-partisan basis and to elect chairmen and vice-chairmen through councilors instead of direct public vote, he said those who once raised slogans of “respecting the vote” have contradicted their own stance. “They do not want to respect the people’s mandate but rather seek engineered elections and results on the Form-47 model,” he remarked.
Dr. Tariq Saleem reaffirmed that Jamaat-e-Islami will participate in the elections at all costs and will not allow a “rotten system” or “tried and tested faces” to be imposed on the people. He emphasized that the party’s objective is not merely electoral success but the advancement of the movement of Iqamah-e-Deen, the establishment of justice and fairness, and seeking the pleasure of Allah. “We do not believe in conspiracies or backdoor changes; we want change through the people’s opinion,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary General North Punjab Iqbal Khan said that local government elections are the nursery of democracy. Without empowering local bodies, he said, democracy cannot be strengthened nor can people be truly empowered. He alleged that the rulers are attempting to establish a centralized system by transferring authority from the people to the bureaucracy.
Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Rawalpindi District Syed Arif Shirazi said Rawalpindi has turned into a hub of civic problems and that an effective local government system has become the most urgent need of the hour. He noted that numerous issues are worsening by the day, adding that due to the consistent struggle and narrative of Jamaat-e-Islami workers, the public has pinned strong hopes on the party.
Others who addressed the meeting included Secretary General Usman Akash, Deputy Ameer Syed Raza Ahmed Shah, Raja Muhammad Jawad, and Maulana Taj Mahmood Siddiqui.
