Jamaat-e-Islami Protests Local Election Postponement, Calls It an Attack on Public Rights
Quetta (Daily Qudrat Quetta) – Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) held a protest in front of Quetta Press Club against the postponement of local government elections, calling it an infringement on the rights of the people. The demonstration was led by District Amir Abdul Naeem Rand, with participants carrying placards and banners denouncing the government and the Election Commissioner.
Addressing the protesters, Abdul Naeem Rand said that postponing the elections just two days before polling, after billions of rupees had already been spent, is equivalent to making a mockery of the democratic process. He emphasized that JI will not accept any alternative system in place of local elections and demanded immediate reimbursement of election-related expenses to candidates and the announcement of a new election schedule.
JI Provincial Vice Amir and Political Committee President Zahid Akhtar Baloch described the postponement as anti-people and said that political parties seeking court intervention to delay the elections did so out of fear of facing the electorate. He highlighted that Quetta has long suffered delays in holding local elections, and the recent schedule had offered hope to citizens, which the authorities disregarded.
During the protest, JI candidates Abdul Manan Hashmi, Arshad Yousafzai, Abdul Razaq Bugti, Mir Naveed Baloch, Javed Ahmad Khan, and Maulana Abdul Hameed Mansoori spoke, asserting that Jamaat-e-Islami is a true pro-people democratic party. They stressed that immediate elections are necessary to transfer authority to the grassroots level and address the public’s pressing issues. The speakers held the provincial Election Commissioner and government responsible for the postponement, warning that the delay undermines democracy and increases public hardship.
