JI accuses PPP of not devolving powers to towns, UCs
KARACHI: The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) on Sunday accused the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party of avoiding devolution of powers at the level of towns and union committees and warned that it could lead to a strong reaction from elected local government members of the opposition parties.
Speaking at a press conference at the party headquarters Idara Noor-i-Haq, JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the resistance offered by the PPP against devolution of powers had been rooted in the mindset of the party and its top brass.
“The PPP has withheld the powers of the elected representatives of the people on the pretext of an interim period,” he said. “We will issue a charter in connection with the administrative and monetary powers of chairmen in towns and UCs.”
He ask what he called the selected city mayor to talk to his party with regard to the devolution of powers to the grassroots level in accordance with Article 140-A of the Constitution. “And let it be very clear that the PPP will have to face strong resistance if delaying tactics are used to avoid devolution of powers.”
He said that the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) was an illegal and unconstitutional body. The JI leader demanded that the government abolish the board and hand over all the relevant functionaries to the elected local government representatives.
The JI leader also criticised the PPP government in Sindh for creating hurdles in the removal of offal and animal remains especially from the JI-led towns.
Hafiz Naeem also talked about the deteriorating law and order situation in the city.
He held the PPP government in Sindh responsible for an alarming surge in street crime and said that the policing system had been corrupted to its core during the party’s 15-year rule.
More than 90 per cent of victims of street crimes avoid approaching police because of a lack of trust in the department, he said.
Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2023