Hafiz Naeemur Rehman raises serious concerns about the plight of the poor
PHALIA, Dec 25 (SABAH): Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Engineer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has raised serious concerns about the plight of the poor, highlighting that 100 million people live below the poverty line.
Speaking at a Farmers Convention at Phalia area of District Mandi Bahauddin on Wednesday, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman criticized ruling elites and mafias for making life difficult for the common man. He demanded the government announce support prices for wheat and sugarcane and questioned the criteria for land distribution in Cholistan. Warning against corporate farming, he said it would ruin small farmers. He announced the launch of a movement to protect farmers’ rights, vowing to extend it nationwide. He also announced protests against Independent Power Producers (IPPs) mafias and urged the public to prepare for a larger call to action.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman lamented the lack of educational opportunities for farmers’ children, criticizing the class-based education system and an exploitative governance structure. “The rulers are unwilling to provide basic rights to the people, yet they continue to raise their own salaries,” he said. He pointed out that the poor and middle classes are left with no money for food after paying utility bills and school fees. “In Punjab, so-called representatives have raised their salaries by 1,000 times, but they are not willing to provide basis right to people.”
He said government has exploited farmers by failing to procure wheat. Out of fear, he said, farmers have sown wheat on reduced acreage this year.
He also criticized the IMF’s influence, asking why its conditions are followed selectively. “The IMF also asks you [rulers] to tax landlords and reduce extravagant expenditures—where do those conditions go?” he questioned. Urging unity among the marginalized, he said, “The oppressed must come together. Division only strengthens the exploiters.”
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman criticized the 26th Amendment, which he said has distorted the constitution. He condemned using religious seminaries for political purposes and stated that those responsible for the amendment have etched their names in infamy.
He accused current rulers of being products of manipulated elections and criticized political parties for distributing tickets based on wealth rather than merit. “Today, 70-80% of parliament members are billionaires with assets and families abroad. They have deprived the public of basic facilities. They stay united while keeping the nation divided. To reclaim our rights, we must unite,” he said. He called on farmers, laborers, and other segments of society to join Jamaat-e-Islami’s committees and announced plans to hold sit-ins outside legislative assemblies.
Discussing education, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that rulers deliberately kept the nation illiterate and now plan to hand over 25,000 schools to NGOs. He suggested that if student fees across all institutions were waived, the national exchequer would need Rs. 570 billion. “Yet the rulers are willing to pay Rs. 2 trillion to IPPs for electricity they didn’t produce but won’t invest in the youth,” he remarked.
On Christmas Day, he emphasized Jamaat-e-Islami’s commitment to protecting minority rights. On occasion of birth anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, he reaffirmed the party’s resolve to uphold constitutional supremacy and democracy. “Pakistan has tried the rule of feudal lords and generals. The solution to Pakistan’s problems lies in Islam’s system of justice,” he said.