LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has categorically rejected the newly passed Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, calling it another assault on democracy.

Addressing the participants in a training session at Mansoora on Wednesday, he said that after the 26th Amendment, the judicial system in Pakistan has already been rendered dysfunctional, leaving ordinary citizens helpless in their pursuit of justice.

“Those who already have unbridled powers to abduct anyone at will have now been handed blind and unchecked authority through this law,” he remarked. He said the system was being controlled by brute force, adding that all political parties that supported the passage of the 26th Amendment were collectively guilty before the nation.

He stressed that while the Constitution forbids any legislation contrary to the Islamic principles, the country’s judicial and administrative structures remain far from Islamic justice system.

Referring to the recent devastation caused by heavy rains in Karachi, he said: “When rulers are imposed against the will of the people, they do not work for the public interest, but for the satisfaction of their benefactors.”

The JI emir criticised the role of the establishment in Karachi, alleging that despite failing to win a single seat, the MQM and Sindh’s ruling party, the PPP, were handed over all constituencies and even the mayor’s office.

“For 40 years, the MQM and the PPP have looted Karachi. The establishment once promised to dismantle this corrupt system, yet it was instead safeguarded and installed in Islamabad under the pretext of so-called ‘national interest’, which is in no way in the interest of the people.”

He said the recent rains once again exposed Karachi’s broken civic infrastructure, saying: “When drains are cleaned only on paper and millions are embezzled, when roads are left broken, how can disaster be averted?”

Turning to KP, he questioned the PTI’s performance during the floods. “Why did the federal and provincial governments fail to use modern climate technology to warn the citizens in advance? Why has Pakistan, one of the worst victims of climate change, been unable to effectively present its case before world powers?”

The JI emir, who recently toured KP’s flood-affected areas, including Buner and Bajaur, said his party and Al-khidmat volunteers are engaged in relief efforts there.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2025