Lahore (Umar Hayat CH)Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Lahore Ziauddin Ansari Advocate has strongly criticized the Punjab Local Government Act, terming it a blatant attack on democracy and the constitutional right of the people to vote. He said that after the Senate and assemblies, Jamaat-e-Islami will not allow the “trading of human loyalties” to be extended to union councils as well.Addressing various meetings of party officials regarding preparations for the countrywide public referendum scheduled for January 15, Ziauddin Ansari stated that those responsible for “Form 47” have now decided to hold local government elections on a non-party basis, a move which he said was unacceptable under any circumstances.He said that on the call of Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, a peaceful and democratic movement has already begun across the country against the “black local government law” and in favor of a genuinely empowered local government system. He added that the nationwide public referendum on January 15 would be a clear expression of public opinion against the undemocratic and anti-people local government framework and would pave the way for meaningful change in the system.Ziauddin Ansari further urged the public, particularly the youth, to actively support the movement for an empowered local government system. He emphasized that a strong and autonomous local government structure is the constitutional and democratic right of citizens.He strongly criticized both the Punjab and federal governments for repeatedly avoiding local government elections, stating that continuous amendments to the Local Government Act have effectively turned it into a “black law” that deprives citizens of their basic democratic rights.
