JI chief announces post-Eid mobilisation, membership drive from April 25

PESHAWAR: Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday said the party would begin a countrywide mobilisation campaign after Eid, arguing that Pakistan’s existing judicial and political order had failed to provide justice and needed structural change rather than another transfer of power.

Speaking at a gathering of party workers at the party’s centre in Peshawar, he said replacing one political party with another would not solve the country’s problems, maintaining that the core issue was the system itself. He told workers that those interested in power and electoral seats could join the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or Pakistan Peoples Party, while those seeking broader systemic change should stand with Jamaat-e-Islami.

Hafiz Naeem also announced a nationwide membership campaign from April 25 to May 15 and called on party workers to take an active part in the effort, saying the party wanted to bring millions of people into its fold.

Call for local government empowerment

The JI chief said local governments should be strengthened and opposed what he described as the concentration of authority in the bureaucracy. He said it was unacceptable to place funds in the hands of administrative officers such as assistant commissioners and deputy commissioners, and called for an end to monopolies held by a small number of individuals.

On education, he said 10 million children in Punjab and more than five million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were out of school, presenting the issue as evidence of a wider governance crisis.

Remarks on foreign policy and the US

Referring to Pakistan’s foreign policy, Hafiz Naeem said the United States could not be regarded as a friend of Muslims, though he added that mediation efforts should continue. He said Pakistan had gained nothing by backing Washington in 2001 and urged what he described as a dignified foreign policy instead of moving closer to US President Donald Trump.

He said ceasefire efforts were heading in the right direction and added that Iran had opened the Strait of Hormuz while the United States had not removed its blockade. "Efforts toward reconciliation and a ceasefire are appropriate, but subservience to the United States is unacceptable. American friendship has brought us nothing but terrorism," he added.

He further said the United States had repeatedly worked against Pakistan, including during the 1971 crisis and in the period after 2001, which he said resulted in terrorism and economic losses for the country.

Criticism of revenue measures

Hafiz Naeem said the government had collected Rs180 billion during six weeks of war and had also generated billions of rupees through the petroleum levy. He alleged that the authorities were using every opportunity to burden the public financially.

He added that Rs1,234 billion had been collected through the petroleum levy in the current fiscal year. He also criticised the PML-N and PPP, saying they had not taken a clear position against US actions and Trump.