Hafiz Naeem announces preparations for long march to Islamabad

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has announced that his party is preparing to stage a long march towards Islamabad to protest against rising public

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has announced that his party is preparing to stage a long march towards Islamabad to protest against rising public hardships, petroleum levies and other economic issues.

Speaking at the inauguration of a model school in Karachi’s Godhra Colony on Friday, Hafiz Naeem accused the authorities of depriving Jamaat-e-Islami of its electoral mandate in Karachi and imposing what he described as an unelected mayor on the city.

He said Karachi’s residents had voted for Jamaat-e-Islami, but their mandate had been stolen. He also alleged that the city’s mayor was restricting the powers of local representatives, preventing them from addressing public problems effectively.

Hafiz Naeem said development work was continuing in areas administered by Jamaat-e-Islami, adding that the party’s town chairmen were working beyond their official authority to meet residents’ needs. However, he claimed that the mayor was withholding powers that should be available to local governments.

The Jamaat-e-Islami chief said his party had been struggling for a long time to raise issues affecting ordinary citizens. He particularly criticised the petroleum levy, arguing that reducing fuel prices would provide much-needed relief to the public.

He pointed out that around 25 million people in Pakistan rely on motorcycles for transportation. According to him, lower petrol prices would ease their financial burden and make daily life more affordable.

Hafiz Naeem also criticised the country’s agricultural policies, saying Pakistan was an agricultural country but had failed to protect its wheat production. He alleged that domestic wheat was being wasted or destroyed, creating shortages that later led to imports and allowed certain people to profit from the crisis.

He further highlighted the difficulties faced by households because of gas shortages and questioned why the government was ignoring the issue of independent power producers (IPPs). He said the country’s economic challenges were evident and demanded greater attention to problems affecting ordinary families.

Referring to the cost of essential food items, Hafiz Naeem claimed that a 10-kilogramme bag of flour was selling for Rs2,000 in Karachi. He also alleged that land grabbing was taking place in the city under the patronage of the provincial government.

The Jamaat-e-Islami leader said powerful landlords were present in every political party, suggesting that entrenched interests continued to influence the country’s political and economic affairs.

He reiterated that his party was preparing for a long march to Islamabad, signalling plans to intensify its campaign against government policies and rising living costs. However, he did not specify a date for the proposed march in his remarks.