KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi chapter on Sunday staged a protest demonstration outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) office against what it dubbed as rigging in February 8 general elections. However, the protest was foiled after police raided the venue, dismantled the makeshift camp, and arrested party leaders and workers.
According to Jamaat-e-Islami, police stopped the party from holding a ‘public press conference’ outside the Sindh Election Commission office, removed their camp, and took several leaders into custody. Acting Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi Muslim Parvez and Sindh Assembly member Muhammad Farooq were among those arrested, who were later shifted to a police station in the Defence area.
Later in the evening, Jamaat-e-Islami confirmed that Muslim Parvez and Muhammad Farooq were released. After their release, both leaders held a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq, where they strongly condemned the arrests of 17 other party workers.
However, in a video statement, JI Ameer Karachi Muneem Zafar Khan said the party had planned its public press conference outside the ECP office to mark two years since the alleged rigging of the February 8 elections. He termed the arrests of party office-bearers a reflection of the ‘fascist attitude’ of the government and appealed to workers to remain peaceful and gather at the party headquarters.
However, addressing the press conference, acting Ameer Karachi Muslim Parvez said the Sindh government had violated the Constitution by suppressing the right to peaceful expression.
He announced that, as per their plan, Jamaat-e-Islami would hold a sit-in outside the Sindh Assembly on February 14 against what he termed the incompetence of the Sindh government. He recalled that Jamaat-e-Islami had earlier staged a 29-day sit-in outside the Sindh Assembly.
However, MPA Muhammad Farooq said the Sindh government, fearing the announced protest and the planned sit-in, resorted to what he termed fascist tactics and arrested 19 party workers. He said the arrests were aimed at preventing the February 14 sit-in outside the Sindh Assembly. He warned that Jamaat-e-Islami would not withdraw from its constitutional and democratic struggle and continue peaceful sit-ins and protests for public rights.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026