Islamabad – Province-wide protest demonstrations were held across Punjab on the call of Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, against the recently approved Punjab Local Government Act. Senior leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, including Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab Dr. Tariq Saleem, Secretary General Iqbal Khan, and district-level office bearers, led the demonstrations in various districts.
Addressing a protest gathering in Gujrat, Dr. Tariq Saleem questioned the government’s decision to hold local government elections on a non-party basis. He said that parties that champion the slogan of “respect the vote” are now seeking to elect chairmen through councilors’ votes instead of direct public voting. He criticized the abolition of district councils and the designation of the deputy commissioner as the sole administrative authority, stating that the move sidelines local representatives. “Departments that were formerly under district governments have already been turned into authorities and brought under provincial control,” he added.
Dr. Tariq Saleem warned that such measures would encourage horse trading and compromise the integrity of local representatives. “Any obstacles in devolving powers to the grassroots—whether from the rulers or the bureaucracy—will be confronted with a public movement,” he said. Jamaat-e-Islami, he announced, has rejected the Act, termed it a “black law,” and plans to challenge it in court while simultaneously launching a mass movement starting today.
In Attock, Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab Secretary General Iqbal Khan addressed a large protest gathering, calling the new law undemocratic and unconstitutional. He said that genuine local government systems serve as nurseries for future leadership and are essential for democratic progress. Iqbal Khan said the current Act grants excessive authority to the bureaucracy while sidelining elected representatives, which he described as an insult to the people’s mandate. “Such policies may have existed under dictatorships, but it is shocking to see a party that promotes ‘respect for the vote’ enforce a powerless and flawed local government structure,” he said. He further warned that converting union council elections into non-party contests would pave the way for horse trading and undermine democratic norms.
