Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has issued a stern warning to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), threatening to lay siege to its offices if immediate steps are not taken to conduct long-overdue local government elections in the federal capital.
Protest at Press Club Demands Civic Rights
On Sunday, Jamaat-e-Islami's Islamabad chapter organized a significant demonstration outside the National Press Club. The protest was a direct response to the persistent failure of authorities to hold local body polls in Islamabad. A large number of party workers and citizens participated, carrying placards and banners with clear demands for immediate elections and raising forceful slogans against the inordinate delay.
Addressing the charged gathering, Engineer Nasrullah Randhawa, the Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Islamabad, launched a sharp critique against the ECP and the government. He alleged a collusion between the electoral watchdog and the government to deny Islamabad its constitutional right to an elected local government. "The Election Commission is aligned with them," Randhawa stated, accusing the ECP of being complicit in the delay.
A Litany of Grievances Against Administration
Randhawa expanded his criticism beyond the election delay, painting a bleak picture of civic mismanagement in Islamabad. He highlighted a severe water crisis, stating that no new drinking-water project had been initiated to address the needs of residents. He placed the responsibility for this shortage squarely on the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the federal government, and the local administration.
The JI leader also condemned the concentration of administrative power, pointing out that a single individual currently holds the positions of Mayor, CDA Chairman, and Commissioner. He claimed this centralization has halted development work, particularly in the city's peripheral areas. Further allegations included the establishment of illegal settlements through bribery and the imposition of heavier taxes on Islamabad's citizens compared to the rest of the country.
Constitutional Violations and a Call to Action
Engineer Randhawa emphasized the constitutional mandate, which requires local government elections every five years. He noted that the polls, originally due in June 2021, were only scheduled after court directives and were subsequently postponed again. "The people of Islamabad now understand clearly who has plundered their rights," he declared, asserting that their rights are being continually violated without any accountability.
He reiterated that under the Constitution, Islamabad should have a provincial-level government, a right that remains unfulfilled. Randhawa warned that if elections are not announced without further delay, JI would escalate its protest by surrounding the ECP headquarters.
Other prominent figures also addressed the protest. JI Islamabad Secretary General Zubair Safdar demanded that Islamabad be freed from bureaucratic control and handed over to an elected leadership, lamenting that "there is no trace of development in Islamabad." The protest was also addressed by President of the Traders' Association Kashif Chaudhry and Head of Political Affairs Huma Ayyub, among others.
The party has announced its intention to continue the struggle, with plans to stage further demonstrations outside both the Election Commission and the CDA until its demand for local government elections is met.
