After inking an agreement with the Sindh government to make changes in the controversial local government law for empowerment of the civic bodies, the Jamaat-e-Islami on Monday announced that it would launch the second phase of the Karachi Rights Movement on February 12 and caravans for Karachi’s rights would march on streets from March 4 onwards.
“Under the second phase of the campaign, door-to-door contacts will be made and corner meetings will be held in each and every union council for due rights of the city,” said JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman while addressing a press conference at the party’s secretariat.
He added that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led provincial government in its February 11 cabinet meeting would uphold its commitment to the implementation of the agreement inked with the JI.
“The JI’s struggle and talks with the Sindh government over the outstanding issues will continue,” he said. Referring to a recent Supreme Court decision on the empowerment of local bodies in Sindh, Rehman asked the PPP leadership in Sindh to devolve all the relevant departments to the local governments as per the spirit of the apex court’s verdict.
He also stressed the need for amending the constitution by inserting a separate paragraph detailing the powers and responsibilities of local governments.
The Jamaat-e-Islami leader also reiterated the party’s demand for holding a fresh census as per international norms and set principles by the United Nations.
