Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman condemned the Punjab Local Government Act as a “black law” designed to enable horse-trading and consolidate elite control over power and resources. Speaking at a JI sit-in in Rawalpindi, he criticized state-funded publicity campaigns and rising taxes amid declining public services, accusing the establishment of imposing unelected leaders through manipulated election forms. He called for a long struggle for constitutional supremacy, denounced dynastic politics, and demanded that bureaucracy be accountable to elected local governments rather than unelected officials.

Hafiz Naeem also criticized government outsourcing of schools and health units, alleging privatization masked by political propaganda, and highlighted corruption within the Federal Board of Revenue despite falling global petrol prices. Announcing a nationwide public referendum on January 15 and ongoing legal challenges against the act, he urged structural reforms to empower elected mayors over bureaucrats and expressed frustration with the judiciary’s failure to deliver justice.