Key parties self-serving enterprises: JI chief

KARACHI:

JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has described the mainstream political parties as self-serving entities, unconcerned with the genuine and pressing issues of the people, such as skyrocketing inflation and the water, electricity, and gas crises.

"The privileged class is completely detached from the public and follows its own interests rather than addressing the needs of the people," Rehman said on Sunday while addressing JI workers and the media during a membership campaign in Karachi's Landhi area.

"All the mainstream political parties, except for the JI, are engaged in the politics of power and personal gain, with no concern for local issues. Their leadership is focused on increasing their own assets and bank balances," he added.

Against this backdrop, he said, the JI is fighting for the common man and raising its voice for the real issues facing the masses.

According to the JI chief, who hails from Karachi, "a group of influential individuals, supported by feudal lords, capitalists, dictators, and judges, has been imposed on Karachi and its people, aided by form 47 in the wake of the February 8 general elections." He urged the nation to unite for their rightful demands against the ruling elite, whom he accused of usurping the people's rights. Rehman claimed that the JI has become the only viable choice for the people of Karachi and other parts of the country.

Discussing the electricity crisis, he blamed the ruling elite for signing "criminal agreements" with IPPs. He added that the JI has only paused, not ended, its sit-in against the anti-people policies of the current government.