JI slams ‘ethnicity-based’ politics in Sindh, vows youth empowerment

LAHORE: A mafia that has thrived on pitting Mohajir and Sindhi communities against each other has jointly ruled Sindh for the past four decades, said Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, adding the ruling elite is deliberately depriving the younger generation of education and opportunities.

According to media cell of JI at Mansoora, he said this while addressing a Bano Qabil ceremony in Hyderabad on Sunday, organised under the auspices of Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan. He said that Jamaat-e-Islami and Alkhidmat would equip millions of young people with education, skills, and interest-free loans to help them start small businesses and become economically independent.

Thousands of students appeared in entry tests for free IT courses during the event.

Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said that nearly 30 million children aged between five and fifteen were out of school across the country, calling it a deliberate policy failure of successive governments. He noted that around 65 percent of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 30, and if provided with opportunities, this generation could transform the country’s economy, particularly through the IT sector.

“If the government invests in education and skills development, Pakistan’s youth can add billions of dollars to IT exports. Unfortunately, current IT exports remain negligible, which is a matter of deep shame for the rulers,” he said, urging young people to benefit from Alkhidmat’s free IT courses and join the struggle to dismantle the outdated and exploitative system.

The JI chief announced the establishment of a state-of-the-art vocational training and IT campus in Hyderabad and demanded the upgradation of Sindh University, Mehran University, and other higher education institutions. He also called on the Sindh government to establish a full-fledged university in Hyderabad, a city of over 2.1 million people, along with a separate university for women.

Praising Alkhidmat’s Z-Connect programme, Rehman said its registration had already crossed 1.3 million, with a target of reaching two million. Under the initiative, students would receive free IT training, skill development opportunities, moral education, and access to sports activities.

He further announced that Jamaat-e-Islami and Alkhidmat Foundation would soon launch an interest-free loan scheme to support youth-led small businesses, asserting that empowering the younger generation was key to steering the country towards progress and prosperity.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026