Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of holding Sindh hostage, saying that what he described as a system of occupation must be dismantled.
Addressing the “Let Karachi Live” march organised by Jamaat-e-Islami on Shahrah-e-Faisal, Hafiz Naeem said the people wanted to see Karachi progress and thrive.
He said there was no one to take responsibility over the Gul Plaza incident, adding that President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari live in Karachi but did not visit the site, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also failed to come to the city to console the affected.
The JI chief said successive rulers had deprived the public of their rights and stressed the need for an empowered local government system.
He added that handing the city over to the federal government was not a solution, saying the Karachi Circular Railway had been destroyed and that the city lacked a proper master plan.
Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman announced that Jamaat-e-Islami would stage a “historic” sit-in on 14 February, stating that the protest would be held outside the Sindh Assembly and that the party would not disperse without securing authority.
