Islamabad
\nProvince-wide protest demonstrations were held across Punjab on the call of Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, against the recently approved Punjab Local Government Act. Senior leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, including Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab Dr. Tariq Saleem, Secretary General Iqbal Khan, and district-level office bearers, led the demonstrations in various districts.
\nAddressing a protest gathering in Gujrat, Dr. Tariq Saleem questioned the government\u2019s decision to hold local government elections on a non-party basis. He said that parties that champion the slogan of \u201crespect the vote\u201d are now seeking to elect chairman through councilors\u2019 votes instead of direct public voting.
\nHe criticized the abolition of district councils and the designation of the deputy commissioner as the sole administrative authority, stating that the move sidelines local representatives. \u201cDepartments that were formerly under district governments have already been turned into authorities and brought under provincial control,\u201d he added.
\nDr. Tariq Saleem warned that such measures would encourage horse trading and compromise the integrity of local representatives. \u201cAny obstacles in devolving powers to the grassroots\u2014whether from the rulers or the bureaucracy\u2014will be confronted with a public movement,\u201d he said.
\nJamaat-e-Islami, he announced, has rejected the Act, termed it a \u201cblack law,\u201d and plans to challenge it in court while simultaneously launching a mass movement starting today.
\nIn Attock, Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab Secretary General Iqbal Khan addressed a large protest gathering, calling the new law undemocratic and unconstitutional. He said that genuine local government systems serve as nurseries for future leadership and are essential for democratic progress.
\nIqbal Khan said the current Act grants excessive authority to the bureaucracy while sidelining elected representatives, which he described as an insult to the people\u2019s mandate.
\n\u201cSuch policies may have existed under dictatorships, but it is shocking to see a party that promotes \u2018respect for the vote\u2019 enforce a powerless and flawed local government structure,\u201d he said. He further warned that converting union council elections into non-party contests would pave the way for horse trading and undermine democratic norms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad Province-wide protest demonstrations were held across Punjab on the call of Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, against the recently approved Punjab Local Government Act. Senior leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, including Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab Dr. Tariq Saleem, Secretary General Iqbal Khan, and district-level office bearers, led the demonstrations in various districts. Addressing a protest gathering in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":518744,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-518722","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n