'Political parties lack internal democracy'

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has lashed out at all the mainstream political parties in the country, describing them as "private properties" with no internal democracy.

Speaking at an event on Sunday, Naeem said there is no democracy in any political party of the country except for the JI. "Whether people reach parliament through Farm 45 or Farm 47 [through rigging or genuine vote], they belong to parties which are more like private properties," he said.

He said to call these parties democratic is an insult to the idea of democracy. According to the JI chief, the parties which have been ruling the country come into power after pledging allegiance to America.

"Here people are elected as heads of political parties on the basis of wills or inheritance. All these parties—both secular and religious—are run by families." Naeem stated that the JI is the only exception as the party is based on a democratic system from bottom to top.

He claimed that the political parties have no idea as to what are the real issues of the people, what is the price of grocery items and how much a common man has to spend on gas and electricity bills.