Islamabad, January 12, 2026: A meeting of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Punjab North Majlis-e-Shura was held on Sunday under the chairmanship of Naib Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab, Hafiz Tanveer Ahmed, to review preparations for the public referendum scheduled for November 15 against the Punjab Local Government Act, which the party has termed a “black law.”
The meeting issued special instructions to district-level leadership to ensure effective mobilization and public outreach ahead of the referendum. Addressing the participants, Hafiz Tanveer Ahmed described the Punjab Local Government Act as “fake, anti-democratic, and a manifestation of hostility towards the people.” He said the referendum aims to gauge public opinion against the law and in favor of a genuinely empowered local government system.
He warned that continued denial of the people’s right to vote would further fuel public resentment, for which, he said, the ruling elite would be held responsible. Emphasizing the importance of grassroots democracy, Hafiz Tanveer Ahmed called for the establishment of an empowered local government system across the country, including Punjab, to ensure meaningful public participation and strengthen democratic culture.
Secretary General Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab, Iqbal Khan, also addressed the meeting and criticized those who claim to uphold the sanctity of the vote, alleging that they have instead undermined it by enacting the Punjab local government law. He argued that the current framework encourages horse-trading and turns local governance into a marketplace for buying and selling influence, similar to practices witnessed in the Senate and National Assembly.
Iqbal Khan highlighted key challenges facing the country’s youth, including limited access to education and employment, a deteriorating judicial system, and increased control by the ruling class through recent legislative amendments. He further noted that the economy remains burdened by interest-based policies, while the prices of electricity, oil, and gas continue to rise. Introducing such a controversial local government law amid these hardships, he said, reflects misplaced priorities.
Concluding his remarks, Iqbal Khan reiterated that Jamaat-e-Islami considers it its responsibility to resist what it terms an unjust system and to continue its struggle for a transparent, democratic, and people-centric local government framework.
