KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has announced sit-ins at 150 locations across Pakistan starting from Friday, Oct. 23, to protest the petroleum levy, accusing the government of prioritizing political interests and costly spending over public welfare.
Speaking at a ceremony at Abu Turab Government School in Karachi’s Gulberg Town, Hafiz Rehman criticized the Sindh government’s budget, saying its benefits were reaching a limited group of people instead of addressing the needs of the wider population. He called for greater attention to public services, education, and development.
Hafiz Rehman also questioned Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s reported purchase of an aircraft worth 11 billion Pakistani rupees, arguing that political leaders were not giving enough attention to the country’s development. He said public money should be used to improve the lives of ordinary citizens.
The JI chief highlighted development projects in Karachi, saying work was progressing in areas where town representatives from his party were in charge. He described projects in nine Karachi towns as a potential game-changer and said local representatives were working beyond their official authority to address residents’ concerns.
However, he pointed to major gaps in municipal services, saying town administrations did not have the authority to collect garbage. He also claimed that half of Karachi’s population lacked access to drinking water, highlighting the challenges facing the city’s local governments.
Hafiz Rehman pledged that Jamaat-e-Islami would continue its campaign to give local governments greater authority and resources. He argued that empowering town administrations was necessary to improve basic services and respond more effectively to residents’ needs.
He also raised concerns about educational facilities and transportation at the University of Karachi. As part of efforts to address transport problems, he announced that nine-point buses would be handed over to the university administration on Thursday.
Turning to education, Hafiz Rehman congratulated students at Abu Turab Government School and said Jamaat-e-Islami was working to introduce a modern education system in government schools. He added that student enrollment was increasing after schools underwent renovation, presenting the improvement of public education as a key priority.
Hafiz Rehman further announced that Gulberg Town would distribute 10,000 education cards, with plans to expand the initiative across Karachi at a later stage. The program is intended to support education, although further details about eligibility and the benefits offered through the cards were not provided in his remarks.
The JI chief also cited the scale of Sindh’s education crisis, claiming that 41,000 schools across the province lacked basic facilities and that 7.8 million children were out of school. He questioned the Sindh government’s performance over the past 18 years, arguing that the figures reflected the need for stronger action on education.
