LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has declared the Punjab Local Government Act in violation of the Constitution and democratic principles, announcing that the party will broaden its protest movement against it.

Addressing a protest rally on Lahore’s Mall Road, he announced sit-ins across all districts of Punjab on Dec 21. He also instructed Jamaat-e-Islami workers in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to hold demonstrations in support of empowered local governments.

He appealed to the public to participate wholeheartedly in the protests and to join the JI in intensifying the struggle for their rights. On his call, demonstrations were held across the province against the Punjab Local Government Act on Sunday.

In Lahore, the protest was also addressed by JI Lahore emir Ziauddin Ansari.

Holds demonstrations across the province led by its local leadership; JI chief announces sit-ins in all districts of Punjab on Dec 21

In Faisalabad, the gathering was addressed by central Punjab emir Javed Kasuri; in Gujrat by northern Punjab emir Dr Tariq Saleem; in Bahawalpur by southern Punjab emir Syed Zeeshan Akhtar; and in Sialkot by Punjab deputy emir Dr Zikrullah Mujahid.

Local amirs led the protests in Vehari, Sahiwal, Okara, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Jhang and other districts.

Speaking to the protesters on Mall Road, the JI chief termed the act a “black law,” vowing to intensify the party’s struggle to empower the people. He said that in the coming days, “people’s courts” would be set up, protests would continue in streets and neighbourhoods, and the party would also take the matter to the courts.

He added that although the rulers had “captured” the judiciary, JI would still approach the judges to fulfill their responsibility. “We hope the judges will restore the people’s authority and strike down this law,” he said.

Mr Rehman said it’s the state’s duty to respect public opinion and ensure the provision of basic necessities, yet those who claimed to champion democracy were bent on depriving people of their rights. “The new Punjab Local Government Act hands all powers to the bureaucracy and the provincial government.” Non-party elections, he argued, would only lead to horse-trading. He asked Nawaz Sharif, head of the ruling PML-N, to explain “in which democratic system non-party elections are conducted?”

He said Nawaz Sharif appeared to be disinterested and, despite once raising the slogan of “respect the vote,” still entered the assembly through Form-47. He questioned how, if Nawaz Sharif was a true democrat, local government elections had not been held in Punjab for the last 10 years, and why the new law stripped citizens of all authority.

The JI chief said that local governments meant devolution of power to the lowest level, but the new Punjab law does the exact opposite, which was unconstitutional.

He added that the country’s system was controlled by the bureaucracy, the establishment, dynastic political parties, and a handful of feudal lords and capitalists, who did not even constitute one percent of the population.

Meanwhile, ordinary citizens lacked even basic facilities, while the elite enjoyed all the privileges. JI, he vowed, would continue its struggle against this outdated system.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2025