Explained: Hafiz Naeem's claims on Karachi's mandate and PPP
Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has accused the PPP of taking over Karachi's public mandate. He spoke at an event in Malir Halt on 9 November.
- Hafiz Naeem accuses the PPP of taking Karachi's mandate and denying 35 million residents their rights.
- He spoke at the opening of a model mohalla and roads at Rifah-e-Aam Chowk, Malir Halt.
- He said Jamaat-e-Islami town administrations used their own resources because the Sindh government gave no funds.
- These are his statements as reported; the report gives no response from the PPP.
Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has accused the Pakistan Peoples Party of taking over Karachi's public mandate. According to reports by Daily Pakistan, 24 News and Nawa-i-Waqt, he said this denied not only his party but also the city's 35 million people their rights. He also alleged that the establishment had imposed people on the city who, in his words, knew only corruption and looting.
He made the remarks at a ceremony to inaugurate a model mohalla, streets and roads at Rifah-e-Aam Chowk, Malir Halt. The work was carried out under TMC Model Colony. Speakers included Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Munim Zafar Khan, Airport district chief Muhammad Ashraf, Sindh Assembly member Muhammad Farooq and Model Colony Town Chairman Zafar Ahmed.
On local services, Hafiz Naeem said Jamaat-e-Islami town administrations had carried out development work with their own resources, because the PPP-led Sindh government did not provide funds. He said work was under way on streets, park restoration, road cleaning and garbage collection points. He said the roads had been full of dirt, broken paths and potholes during the local government elections, and that paving blocks were now being installed while cleanliness and public facilities improved.
Daily Pakistan Urdu reported further remarks. He said Karachi contributes about half of the country's tax and revenue, and that residents had wanted a Jamaat-e-Islami mayor.
On education, he said Jamaat-e-Islami's nine towns have about 150 schools, of which 73 had been repaired or renovated. He said Karachi has about 3,500 government schools, and that Sindh's education budget is 601 billion rupees for about 41,000 schools. He cited a Ghotki school with 49 teachers assigned to 23 children.
He also said 1.6 million people have registered for the Banu Qabil programme, which offers free IT courses that he said other institutes charge 50,000 to 70,000 rupees or more for.
Several questions remain open. The reports carry no reply from the PPP or the Sindh government to these claims, and the figures quoted are Hafiz Naeem's own statements, not independently checked in the material. khabr.pk's reports from the past week contain no official decision on the matter.
Why it matters for Pakistan
Karachi residents depend on town administrations for streets, cleaning and garbage collection, which Hafiz Naeem said his party's towns are doing without Sindh government funds. Parents and students are affected by his claims about school repairs and the education budget. Young people may be affected by the Banu Qabil free IT courses he described. These are his statements as reported, and the material gives no response from the PPP or the Sindh government.
