Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Monem Zafar Khan has strongly criticized the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government in Sindh, accusing it of perpetrating an “educational genocide” against the youth of Karachi. Zafar, addressing a press conference on Tuesday at the JI Karachi headquarters, expressed his concerns about the deteriorating educational system in the city. Zafar stated that Karachi students are suffering due to the PPP government’s “anti-Karachi and anti-education” policies.
He highlighted that the frequent changes in leadership at educational boards, particularly the intermediate board, were signs of the government’s disarray and lack of seriousness towards education. He claimed that in just one year, five chairmen of the Karachi Intermediate Board had been changed, and all educational boards in Sindh were being run on ad hoc basis.
The JI leader also pointed out that the Sindh government’s flawed education policies had contributed to the alarming number of 27.3 million children, aged between 5 to 15 years, being out of school. He demanded an end to ad hoc appointments, called for merit-based appointments for educational board heads, and requested free paper scrutiny for affected students. Zafar also criticized the PPP-led Sindh government for neglecting Karachi’s infrastructure, particularly the deadly issue of open manholes.
He questioned the mayor’s responsibility for the deaths caused by these hazards and accused the PPP of failing to manage Karachi effectively for over 16 years. As part of his response to these issues, Zafar mentioned that JI had installed 15,000 covers on open manholes in Karachi’s nine towns under its administration. He accused the PPP of fostering corruption in the city’s local government institutions, undermining its democratic credentials.
