Islamabad: Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Engineer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman while completely rejecting the 27th Constitutional Amendment, said that the 26th Amendment was introduced to ensure arbitrary decisions and control over the judiciary. He said that the ruling elite's endless ambitions are now being furthered through the 27th Amendment. Pakistan, he added, is still fighting for its survival under the civil and military bureaucratic system.
'Our struggle to end the system that benefits the elite will begin with the Minar-e-Pakistan Ijtima. The people need education, not amendments,' Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said while addressing the Islamabad Bar Association on Monday.
President of the Islamabad Bar Association Chaudhry Naeem Ali Gujjar, senior member Raja Muhammad Ishtiaq, member of the Islamabad Bar Council Asif Irfan, and Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Islamabad Engineer Nasrullah Randhawa were also present on the occasion.
In his speech, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that the current national situation shows that even after 78 years, the country is still not being run properly. Pakistan was created with great hopes and aspirations - even regions of the subcontinent that were not to be included in Pakistan supported the movement, solely on the basis of 'La Ilaha Illallah.' Quaid-e-Azam envisioned a system based on the fundamental principles of Islam, but immediately after his death, the people were confused and misled. The Objectives Resolution defined the direction of the state, making Allah the Supreme Sovereign, and no legislation contrary to Islam can be made under the Constitution.
He added that bar associations are the only institutions in Pakistan where annual elections are held. 'Except for Jamaat-e-Islami, no political party in Pakistan practices internal democracy,' he said. 'Even after 78 years, the common man in Pakistan does not get justice. The current judicial system is rotten.'
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that the local government elections in Karachi were held after a long struggle, and the petitions related to that election are still pending in court. 'Justice is not being delivered - the courts only look for signals about whom the powerful want to favor,' he remarked.
He declared that the immunity granted under the 27th Constitutional Amendment would be un-Islamic and unconstitutional, and Jamaat-e-Islami rejects it outright. 'There is no room for immunity in Islam or the Constitution. When the Khulafa-e-Rashideen appeared before the courts, who are today's rulers to consider themselves above the law? The rulers already have everything in their hands - what more powers do they need?'
He further said that the current Parliament largely consists of members elected through Form 47 manipulation. 'We threw those illegitimate seats back in their faces. If political parties refuse to accept such seats, the system will automatically correct itself. Nawaz Sharif raised the slogan of 'give respect to vote' but accepted 70,000 extra votes,' he remarked.
He said that equal educational opportunities are still not available to Pakistani children. 'What Pakistan truly needs is education,' he stressed. Jamaat-e-Islami strongly disagrees with those who claim that Pakistan can progress by making mineral agreements with the United States. 'No one was ready to talk about IPPs (Independent Power Producers), but through our struggle, some progress was made. If universities were made capable of providing free education, it would require only 1 trillion rupees, whereas 2 trillion rupees are given to IPPs - why not for education?'
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman emphasized that this system has remained in the hands of Chiefs of Army Staff for 33 years. 'It is an elite-driven system. Under this civil-military bureaucratic structure, Pakistan is still fighting for its survival. This system must be changed - that is the only solution,' he said.
He added that youth will be mobilized for systemic change. 'In Alkhidmat's 'Bano Qabil' program, 1.2 million young people have already been enrolled. Despite our difficulties, we are serving the nation. Those who have held power for 78 years must now leave,' he said.
Inviting lawyers to attend the Jamaat-e-Islami's public gathering on November 21, 22, and 23, he said that the event would become a source of new enthusiasm for the people. 'This gathering will be a turning point and a ray of hope in these times of despair,' Hafiz Naeemur Rehman concluded.