KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) on Tuesday warned the Sindh government of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) that if it failed to clarify its position regarding the local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad within 24 hours and did not ensure holding of the polls on January 15, the JI would stage a sit-in outside CM House.

The party demanded the provincial government withdraw its letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan in which the PPP was seeking further delay in the polls.

Addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-i-Haq, JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman vowed that his party would be staging a protest sit-in outside CM House if the government failed to meet the deadline.

“On one hand the PPP leaders talk about holding local bodies’ elections and on the other, dialogues are being held to further delay the polls,” he added.

“It seems that the PPP government is mulling over further postponing the polls after all the melodrama. It’s quite illogical for political parties to discuss unconstitutional steps or options to further postpone the local government elections despite court orders and constitutional provisions against the delay.”

He also criticised Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori for his ‘failure’ to deliver what he had promised after taking the oath. Instead, the JI leader alleged, ‘conspiracies against Karachiites’ had increased manifold after Governor Tessori assumed the office.

“We don’t believe in politics of hatred and targeting individuals and because of this the JI didn’t oppose Mr Tessori, but those who installed him will have to answer for his performance,” he said. “Initially, the governor was very positive and talked about issues, but as of now he’s not delivering on the issues he had promised. He has now taken a different line of action and Governor House has become the hub of conspiracies to seed ethnic divisions and give life to some dead horses.”

Published in Dawn, january 4th, 2023