KARACHI: Amid renewed hopes on the back of recent success in cantonment board elections, the Jamaat-i-Islami on Tuesday asked its workers to gear up for another challenge for local bodies’ polls in Karachi.

Addressing a workers’ convention at the party’s headquarters, Idara Noor-i-Haq, through video link, JI chief Senator Sirajul Haq congratulated party activists for the encouraging outcome and asked them to put in their efforts for the local government polls.

“In the current situation, the JI has become the only hope for the masses in the upcoming local bodies’ elections in Karachi,” he said.

“It’s our firm believe that sooner or later Karachi will once against get its past glory. The prosperity and development of Karachi is the key for prosperity and development of Pakistan. Jamaat-i-Islami wants to bring in a blessed governing system — based on the teachings of Islam — to the country. We want to change the society in a positive manner and our focus is individuals.”

Before his address, workers were briefed in detail about JI’s performance in the cantonment boards’ election.

They were informed that five JI candidates won the elections by a significant margin.

It was noted that on five seats, JI candidates stood second by a margin of less than 50 votes, on two seats by a margin of less than 100 votes and on one seat by a margin of less than 150 votes. The JI candidates secured more than 17,000 votes whereas the majority of candidates stood second, said the report shared with the workers.

JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman in his address said that the promising results of local bodies elections in Karachi cantonment areas made it clear that the future of the city belonged to the Jamaat-i-Islami.

“Jamaat’s success in the cantonment polls is a result of the tireless and coordinated efforts made by the entire team and on top of everything the blessing of Allah Almighty. We hope that this upward movement by Jamaat in Karachi politics will continue in the long run,” he said.

The JI leader said that the election results had shown that the masses in Karachi had expressed their displeasure and disbelief in all three “self-acclaimed major political parties of the city”, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Pakistan People Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan”. The three political parties did nothing but increased problems, he claimed.

The JI leader thanked all voters in the cantonment areas for showing their trust in the party.

He said that the JI would continue its struggle under the banner of the ‘Karachi Rights Movement’ to ensure provision of basic civic facilities and justice for the residents of the city.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2021