JI speaks out: ‘Local government Ordinance 2013 is a ploy to defer election’

The new ordinance was introduced without consultation with political parties, says JI Ameer.

KARACHI: The Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2013 is a ‘ploy’ between the former coalition partners — the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)  — to defer the elections, said Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi’s ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Thursday.

He was speaking to the media at the Regent Plaza. “The MQM is maintaining a public facade of strong reservations against the ordinance, although it was the MQM-affiliated governor [Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan] who gave consent for the issuance of an undemocratic ordinance,” said Rehman.

He added that the JI rejects the move as the provincial government had introduced the new local bodies’ ordinance without consultation with the political parties.

Despite the clear directives of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the PPP’s non-serious attitude toward the local bodies’ polls is indicative of the fact that the party is not eager to hold the elections. “The provincial government is bent on introducing complications in the newly introduced local government system,” said Rehman. “By this new ordinance, the government wishes to exempt the general public from participating in the direct election of the chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of the union councils — a move which has a propensity for manipulation through buying out the fewer number of general councillors from among the winning panels as compared to the huge number of voters from the general public.”

Sectarian tension

Rehman alleged that the MQM was involved in targeted killings of both Shias and Sunnis to spark sectarian violence in the city.

The property and life of the citizens are not safe in the city despite a targeted operation being carried out, he said, adding, “A grand and indiscriminate operation against the criminals and militant wings of political parties is the only option for restoration of lasting peace.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2013.