Islamabad, December 7, 2025: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JI) staged province-wide demonstrations across Punjab on Sunday to protest the recently approved Punjab Local Government Act, calling it “undemocratic and unconstitutional.” The protests were led by Ameer JI Pakistan Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, along with senior leadership including Ameer JI Punjab Dr. Tariq Saleem, Secretary General Iqbal Khan, and district-level office bearers.
In Gujrat, Dr. Tariq Saleem criticized the government for holding local government elections on a non-party basis. “Parties that champion the slogan of ‘respect the vote’ are now seeking to elect chairmen through councilors’ votes instead of direct public voting,” he said. He also condemned the abolition of district councils and the designation of the deputy commissioner as the sole administrative authority, arguing that such measures sideline local representatives. “Departments formerly under district governments have already been converted into authorities under provincial control,” he added.
Dr. Saleem warned that the Act could encourage horse trading and compromise the integrity of local representatives. “Any obstacles in devolving powers to the grassroots—whether from the rulers or the bureaucracy—will be confronted with a public movement,” he said. He confirmed that Jamaat-e-Islami has rejected the Act, called it a “black law,” and plans to challenge it in court while launching a mass movement starting immediately.
In Attock, JI Punjab Secretary General Iqbal Khan addressed a large protest gathering, calling the law a blow to democratic norms. “Genuine local government systems are nurseries for future leadership and essential for democratic progress,” he said. Khan added that the Act grants excessive authority to the bureaucracy while sidelining elected representatives, describing it as “an insult to the people’s mandate.”
He further warned that converting union council elections into non-party contests would pave the way for horse trading and undermine democratic principles. “Such policies may have existed under dictatorships, but it is shocking to see a party that promotes ‘respect for the vote’ enforce a powerless and flawed local government structure,” Khan said.
