Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday lashed out at federal and provincial governments over Karachi’s poor governance and infrastructure and announced a sit-in outside the Sindh Assembly on February 14 to demand an empowered local government system.
Addressing a rally in Karachi, the JI chief said the port city was facing severe governance failures, citing recent incidents, including a deadly fire at Gul Plaza, where he said there was no effective response from the authorities. He said Karachi’s residents were “burning in fires”.
While rejecting demands to place Karachi under federal control, the JI leader said handing the city to the Centre was “not a solution”. Instead, he demanded an empowered urban local government system to address civic issues.
Rehman accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of holding Sindh “hostage” and blamed the provincial government for the destruction of Karachi’s infrastructure, including the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR).
He said the city lacked a master plan and called for an end to land encroachments in urban areas.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details
