Punjab’s Local Government Law: JI chief announces province-wide protests

LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has announced province-wide demonstrations on December 7 against what he termed Punjab’s “black law” on the local government system.

Talking to media at Mansoorah on Wednesday, he said the protests in Punjab would mark the formal beginning of the “Badal Do Nizam” (Change the System) nationwide peaceful resistance movement. “The people cannot tolerate further exploitation. The rulers will have to return the rights of the nation,” he said.

Rehman added that demonstrations would be held across all major cities of Punjab, and the party would also challenge the new local government law in court.

Criticising the newly passed Local Government Act, he said the legislation passed by the “Form-47 Assembly” had completely snatched the people’s right to representation and handed decision-making over to the bureaucracy.

“In which democratic system are non-party elections held?” he asked, saying that the law opened doors to horse-trading and aimed to tighten the Sharif family’s grip on power. He confirmed that JI would launch a campaign for empowered local governments across all provinces and would immediately challenge the Punjab law in court.

In response to a question, Rehman termed the enforcement of Section 144 in Punjab a colonial tactic and a restriction on freedom of expression. He said JI had the constitutional right to peaceful protest.

When asked he also criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, saying the PML-N leader and his family rose to power with the establishment’s patronage. He reiterated that Nawaz Sharif had accepted the 70,000 votes given by the establishment in the last election.

The JI chief further said that under the pre-announced agenda of the Ijtema-e-Aam, the “Badal Do Nizam” movement would include public referendums, signature campaigns, sit-ins, encircling assemblies, and all other forms of peaceful protest.

“Jamaat-e-Islami seeks the supremacy of the Constitution and law, the establishment of a genuine democratic system, and elections based on proportional representation,” he said. The party would also raise its voice against the worsening law and order situation, the education crisis, and corruption.

He said JI would continue protests against “US and IMF slavery,” express solidarity with Palestinians, and advocate improved relations with Afghanistan. Provincial leaderships would highlight local issues, followed by region-specific protest actions.

Expressing gratitude for the “historic success” of the recent Ijtema-e-Aam at Minar-e-Pakistan, he said millions had demonstrated their rejection of the “decayed system.” He added that international delegations at the gathering denounced oppressive capitalist structures worldwide and viewed Islamic principles as a fair alternative.

“The Ijtema has proved that Jamaat-e-Islami is not only a national party but a well-organised ideological movement with a global vision,” he said.

Senior party leaders including Naib Ameer Liaqat Baloch and Secretary General Ameer ul Azeeml were present during the presser. A consultative meeting chaired by Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman was held prior to the press conference to finalise the phase-wise strategy of the movement.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025