HYDERABAD: Emir Jamaat-i-Islami Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said that the PDM-III government had failed to deliver and providing any relief to people. People understand very well the ‘noora kushti’ (fixed match) between PPP and PML-N, he said, adding that PPP had lost popularity and its government would fall if establishment discontinued support to it in Sindh.

Speaking at a news conference in a local hotel on Saturday, Hafiz Naeem said that PPP was ruling over Sindh with the help of establishment and a ‘few waderas’.

He claimed that without support of some ‘idara’ PPP could not even get the slot of Karachi mayor. Accusing the establishment of supporting corrupt and then facing embarrassment, the JI chief said no water project or canal should be executed in violation of the Water Accord 1991 and national consensus.

He said JI supported peaceful protest of any political force and condemned government’s tactics to counter PTI’s protest. He held government responsible for making PTI’s call for protest successful. JI doesn’t want to create chaos because already plenty of polarisation was there in the country. Therefore, JI believes government should itself offer relief to people by reducing prices of commodities and petrol.

He said that a dacoit rule was seen in Sindh and southern Punjab while heart-wrenching stories were coming up from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Expressing his concern over law and order situation in the country, he said security forces and people were being targeted in Balochistan, and demanded that federal and provincial governments should restore peace.

He said the KPK chief minister should hold peaceful protest but he should put his own house in order first. He said that the Kurram tragedy was just condemnable and conditions were also a matter of concern. He added that people including innocent children were targeted in bus there. He said that government must expose those involved in it, and observed that it was outcome of joining US war on terror and now entire region was burning.

He said it was not a Sunni-Shia fight but interference of CIA and RAW that has made lives of people miserable. He added that instead of getting frightened, rulers should expose the forces involved in this bloodbath.

Hafiz Naeem said that the benefits being accrued by government as a result of IPPs should be transferred to consumers by reducing electricity tariff directly. He said that government had not yet implemented Rawalpindi agreement with JI.

He added that government’s claims of better economic indicators could only be believed when people would start getting relief and salaried class would get relief in their tax slab. He said that people of Sindh have objections over water projects but pointed out that Asif Ali Zardari as president had okayed these projects.

He alleged that the PPP leadership hoodwinked people of Sindh. He said Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari visited temples but was unable to provide protection to Hindu and other minorities.

Later, addressing a training session of JI provincial women wing, he regretted that genocide of Palest-inians was taking place. He said world powers were providing support to Zionist army while so-called rights champions remained silent spectators.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2024