LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday said the party wanted transparent elections based on proportional representation, terming it the most effective democratic mechanism to free politics from feudalism, tribal dominance and the grip of money power.

Addressing a reception at Minar-i-Pakistan Ground held in honour of organisers and workers who rendered services during the recent public gathering, Hafiz Naeem said proportional representation was essential to liberate the masses from political hostage-taking by wealthy elites. He also criticised the existing police and justice system, saying the thana-kutchery set-up served only a few powerful groups and failed to deliver justice to commoners. He stressed that comprehensive police reforms were the need of the hour.

The Jamaat-i-Islami chief announced nationwide sit-ins on Dec 21 in support of an empowered local government system. He also indicated that the party would reorganise its protest movement against agreements with Independent Power Producers (IPPs), adding that it would be better if the government resolved the issue with IPPs before the formal launch of the renewed agitation.

The JI emir said the public gathering had marked the beginning of a countrywide struggle against the obsolete system. He announced that the Jamaat would form 50,000 public committees and enrol five million new members within the next year. He said protest movements would continue alongside constructive initiatives aimed at improvement and reform.

Highlighting youth-oriented programmes, he described the Z-Connect initiative as a revolutionary step for the younger generation, under which youth were being provided training in information technology and various vocational skills. He said interest-free loans would be offered to help young people start small businesses, opportunities in sports would be expanded, and moral and character-building training would also be ensured.

The JI chief said local governments were the most effective tier in any democratic system, but successive ruling parties in Pakistan had consistently ignored them. He criticised so-called major political parties for being dominated by families and personalities, saying political workers had no meaningful role in such set-ups. He cited Punjab’s new local government law as a clear example, saying family-run parties were unwilling to devolve power to the people.

He said JI had launched a movement not only against what it termed Punjab’s “black law” on local governments but also for strengthening the local government system across the country. He announced that sit-ins would be staged at all divisional headquarters nationwide on the coming Sunday (Dec 21).

Criticising the ruling elite, Rehman said governments took a few welfare measures merely for optics while remaining equally responsible for institutional decay and public exploitation. He said provincial governments often copied each other’s ‘flawed’ policies, citing the introduction of heavy traffic fines in Punjab following a similar move in Sindh.

Questioning accountability, he asked who would hold to account those openly violating the Constitution and democracy, and who would question those imposed through “Form 47” and their facilitators. He reiterated that the Jamaat, with the support of the people especially the youth, would continue its struggle to rid the country of the outdated system and its patrons.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2025