KARACHI: Criticising the Pakistan Peoples Party over Karachi’s civic issues, Jamaat-i-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem ur rehman has said that the ruling party has ruined Karachi, and those who installed the mayor should fix the situation.

Speaking at a press conference here on Saturday, he said that the PPP has been ruling Sindh for the last 18 years and has devastated Karachi. He said that PPP has done nothing except “loot and corruption,” adding that those who imposed a PPP mayor on Karachi should now be the ones to fix the city.

He reiterated JI’s clear demand for the establishment of an empowered city government in Karachi, and called for a strong local government system across the country.

The JI leader said the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line project has become a constant source of suffering for the city’s residents and claimed that Karachi did not even need the project. He argued that instead, the Sindh government could have brought 1,500 to 2,000 large buses.

Hafiz Naeem asks Sindh govt to buy 2,000 large buses instead of pursuing BRT projects; urges Muslim rulers to term any US-Israel attack on Iran ‘terrorism’

He said that Rs4 billion had been spent on the Karimabad underpass project only to create “two narrow lanes.”

He also said that, despite a budget of Rs43 billion, the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board has completely failed, turning the city into a garbage dump.

Mr Rehman said the Sindh government “has extended corruption from Zardari House to Bilawal House”, saying the entire waste management system has become “a corrupt enterprise”.

He questioned why the K-IV augmentation project had been halted for months and asked why the federal government had still not completed the K-IV water project.

He also criticised delays in the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and the BRT Green Line project, saying repeated inaugurations have taken place, but completion remains elusive even after eleven years.

Praises Islamabad role in mediating between Iran, Saudi Arabia

Commending Pakistan’s role in mediating between Iran and Saudi Arabia, he suggested that Iran and Turkey should now be included in the Pakistan-Saudi defence agreement.

He said that once this happens, other Gulf states would likely join as well, creating a bloc that would symbolise the unity of the Muslim Ummah.

He stated that peace in the region cannot be achieved as long as Israel exists in its current form, calling it an “illegitimate state.”

He also said Gulf states must realise that American military bases in their territories are not there for their protection but for protecting and strengthening Israel. He urged Gulf states to review their multi-billion-dollar agreements.

Hafiz Naeem was of the view that Muslim rulers must openly declare that any attack on Iran by the United States and Israel would amount to terrorism.

He criticised Pakistan’s participation in what he called Mr Trump’s “Gaza Board of Peace”, questioning how Pakistan could act as a mediator while being part of that body.

He said mediation requires neutrality, and once US President Donald Trump is accepted as head of such a board and even nominated for a Nobel Prize, neutrality becomes impossible.

He further said that this so-called board of peace has no legal status, as it has been created in competition with the United Nations.

Mr Rehman said representatives of the board have spoken of disarming Hamas before any peace process can move forward, which, he said, means speaking against the same party with whom peace is supposedly being negotiated.

He stressed that there is now no moral, legal, or humanitarian justification for Pakistan to remain part of this board of peace.

He urged Pakistan not only to withdraw from it but also to persuade Saudi Arabia, Turkey and all Gulf states to leave the board as well. He praised Spain for openly condemning the US.

Govt’s fuel policy criticised

On domestic governance, the JI chief demanded that no government vehicle, including those used by army officers, should exceed 1300cc under current economic conditions.

He said JI’s local government (LG) representatives do not use vehicles above this limit.

Criticising the government’s fuel policy, he said the prime minister claimed to have rejected a summary proposing an increase of Rs200 and Rs95 in petrol and diesel prices, but mocked the claim, saying the summary came from the government itself.

The JI leader said the government is collecting Rs120 to Rs125 per litre in taxes on petrol, including Rs105 as levy, which is unrelated to the base fuel price.

He also demanded that all schools, colleges and universities be reopened and said there is no longer any justification for keeping Pakistan-Iran trade suspended, calling for its immediate restoration.

He criticised the prime minister for arriving in Karachi for just three hours with a 37-vehicle protocol, while President Zardari allegedly travelled to Nawabshah for Eid prayers with a 26-vehicle convoy.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2026