By Ahsan Mughal
KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) of staging a “mock political contest”, saying both parties are engaged in what he described as a “Nora kushti” in Karachi’s governance landscape.
Speaking at a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq in Karachi, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said the city had witnessed poor sanitation conditions during Eid-ul-Azha, blaming both parties for what he called the deterioration of civic services in the country’s largest metropolis.
He said institutions such as the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board and the water supply system were still being run under outdated structures, despite years in office by the current local leadership. He also alleged that governance failures had left Karachi facing an acute water shortage, with “tanker mafias” benefiting from the crisis.
The Jamaat-e-Islami leader claimed that the party’s local town administrations were delivering better services within their limited authority and reiterated his demand for stronger and more empowered local governments.
Expanding his remarks beyond Karachi, Hafiz Naeem also criticised international policies on Gaza, accusing the United States of backing Israel amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis. He further referred to academic restrictions in the US on pro-Palestinian activism.
On regional diplomacy, he questioned progress on Iran–US engagement and Pakistan’s role in mediation efforts, while also raising concerns over the Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline and calling for expanded trade ties with Tehran.
He announced that Jamaat-e-Islami would hold a seminar in Islamabad on 3 June to present budget proposals, arguing that Pakistan’s economy was under severe strain due to inflation and poor fiscal management.
