Islamabad: Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Islamabad Engineer Nasrullah Randhawa has said that after foreseeing its certain defeat in the local government elections, the government is opting for an escape route.
A protest demonstration was organized by Jamaat-e-Islami in Islamabad against the postponement of the local government elections, in which a large number of Islamabad's citizens, including men and women, participated.
Addressing the protest, Nasrullah Randhawa demanded that the Election Commission of Pakistan should fulfill its constitutional responsibility and immediately hold local government elections in Islamabad, because no one will be allowed to rob the constitutional and democratic rights of Islamabad's citizens.
He said that the government is deliberately conspiring to deprive the people of Islamabad of their democratic rights, and that postponing local government elections is equivalent to open hostility toward the public and the city of Islamabad. Nasrullah Randhawa stated that at present a single bureaucrat has become the sole authority over all affairs of Islamabad, while the public is suffering from basic problems.
He said that the people of Islamabad are trapped in serious issues such as education, health, sewerage, clean drinking water, traffic, and electricity. Fifty percent of the city's population does not have access to basic facilities at all, while residents of various sectors are also deprived of essential services.
He pointed out that approximately Rs. 1,200 billion in taxes are collected annually from Islamabad, yet the city is not being given its due share in the NFC Award, even though, according to the Constitution, Islamabad's status is equivalent to a province.
The Emir JI Islamabad said that the CDA has turned into a 'Corruption Development Authority' instead of a development institution. He said that after the issuance of the election schedule, legally no amendments can be made to the Local Government Act, and if the elections are postponed, it will be assumed that the Election Commission is also part of this conspiracy. In such a situation, Jamaat-e-Islami will continue its struggle at every level.
Secretary General Jamaat-e-Islami Islamabad Zubair Safdar, trader leader Kashif Chaudhry, Chaudhry Sajid Iqbal Gujjar, Huma Ayub, Rao Javed Akhtar, Mian Ramzan, and other leaders also addressed the protest.
The speakers demanded that the amendments made to the Islamabad Local Government Act be withdrawn, the 'TikToker' Chief Commissioner be removed, and powers be given to elected local representatives, because due to the absence of public representatives, Islamabad has turned into a city of problems.