KARACHI: The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) on Monday agreed on a strong and comprehensive local government system for Sindh and blamed the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government in the province for deliberately weakening the municipal administration set-up to keep affairs under its control.

The consensual thoughts between the two parties emerged when a GDA delegation visited the JI headquarters, known as Idara-i-Noor-i-Haq, where the two sides regretted that despite promise and assurances from the Sindh government and repeated protests from the opposition parties, the PPP leadership preferred to deceive the people of Sindh in the name of deals and agreements.

“It’s unfortunate that after our protest and people anger, the PPP government agreed to review the law and sign an agreement with us, but it failed to meet the commitment in true spirit,” said Karachi JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman while talking to the GDA delegation.

“We have also conveyed our concerns to the PPP government in Sindh and demanded that the provincial government hold a session of the Sindh Assembly for legislation on the issues agreed between the JI and PPP. The people of Karachi and other parts of Sindh cannot be deceived anymore in the name of democracy,” he said.

In January 2022, the JI had entered into an agreement with the PPP government to further amend the local government law to give back control of major administrative affairs, including health, education after a month-long sit-in held by the right wing party outside the Sindh Assembly building.

The GDA delegation led by Safdar Abbassi agreed with the JI leader and accused the PPP government of deliberately using delaying tactics.

The PPP government would never want strong, independent and resourceful local government system in Sindh because it doesn’t suit the feudal mindset of its leadership and its organisational structure,” he said, adding: “All democratic forces, including the JI and GDA, would definitely take a legal course of action for true and democratic local government system in the province.”

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2022