Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Chief Monem Zafar has called on the government to end what he describes as “education apartheid” in Karachi, warning that the educational future of 80% of students in the city is at risk. Addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq on Tuesday, Zafar announced a protest demonstration outside the Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi (BIEK), on January 16.
Accompanied by JI leaders Taufeequddian Siddiqui, Qazi Saddaruddin, Zahid Askari, and Imran Shahid, Zafar urged affected students and their parents to join the protest, calling the first-year intermediate results “highly controversial” and demanding transparency in the scrutiny process. He further called for the withdrawal of fees for re-checking and for the immediate sharing of answer sheets with affected students. Zafar welcomed the Sindh government’s decision to form a parliamentary committee to address the issue but criticized the lack of urgency, demanding clear terms of reference and a timeframe.
He revealed that JI has established an education desk to assist affected students and plans to create similar desks at district levels, along with a Google link for facilitation. Highlighting Sindh’s educational budget exceeding Rs. 1,100 billion over three years, he lamented that 2,997 public schools in the province still lack boundary walls. Zafar also addressed Karachi’s civic challenges, noting that 28 people have died and over 270 sustained injuries in road accidents in the past 13 days. He held dumpers and tankers responsible for many of these incidents and criticized the lack of action against these vehicles, contrasting it with the government’s swift reaction to protests against water shortages.
He demanded the resignation of Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, accusing the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of neglecting Karachi during its 16-year rule. Zafar pointed to ongoing issues like broken roads, delays in the K4 water project, and stalled transportation initiatives like the Karachi Circular Railway and the Red Line Project. Zafar expressed outrage over the 15-day water supply suspension in Gulshan-e-Hadeed Township, warning of a potential sit-in on the National Highway if the issue is not resolved.
He accused the government of eyeing the township’s land after shutting down Pakistan Steel Mills. Zafar concluded by thanking Karachiites for their support during the Gaza March and announced the “Mera Brand Pakistan Expo” on January 18–19 at Expo Center Karachi.
The event, to be inaugurated by JI Pakistan Chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, will feature Pakistani alternatives to Israeli and pro-Israeli products. He reaffirmed JI’s commitment to protecting public parks from commercial exploitation, vowing to counter any attempts by the PPP to misuse them.
