PESHAWAR: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan on Tuesday announced to launch a street movement after Eid against the alleged corruption of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Inayatullah Khan, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami North, made the announcement during a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club.He said the party would begin a full-scale protest drive after Eid to hold the provincial government accountable for what he described as widespread corruption.
Criticizing the government’s Ramazan relief initiative, he alleged that the announced Rs12.8 billion package was not benefiting the poor but was instead being distributed among PTI’s favoured MPAs, MNAs and party affiliates.“The money collected from the public through taxes and fines is not reaching deserving citizens,” he said, claiming that corruption was rampant under the guise of the Ramazan relief programme.
Clarifying that Jamaat-e-Islami is not opposed to financial assistance, he insisted that funds must be distributed transparently to the poor rather than to politically connected individuals.He criticized the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), noting that Rs700 billion is being distributed through the scheme.
According to him, the programme is fostering dependency and, he alleged, even these funds are being misallocated to favoured individuals.He urged both the federal and provincial governments to immediately halt what he termed the “unfair and politically motivated” distribution of public funds.
Citing a World Bank report, Inayatullah Khan said that 44 percent of the population was living below the poverty line. He added that hundreds of thousands of children were out of school, while millions of university graduates struggled each year to find employment due to limited job opportunities.
The JI leader called on the government to initiate sustainable programmes aimed at poverty alleviation and employment generation.He mentioned the “Bano Qabil” skills development initiative launched under the leadership of Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.
According to him, the programme aims to provide IT skills training to two million individuals, with 1.2 million already registered.He announced that Jamaat-e-Islami would mobilize the public and launch a vigorous protest movement after Eid against what he called the “corrupt PTI government and corrupt mafia.”
The JI leader urged other political parties to unite and raise a joint voice for the protection of public rights.Inayatullah Khan also condemned what he described as a war imposed on Iran by the United States and Israel. He denounced the reported martyrdom of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The JI leader emphasized that issues with Afghanistan should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy rather than war.He urged the federal and provincial governments to prioritize negotiations to address bilateral concerns.
