Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman terms Benazir Income Support Programme a fraud

KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has strongly criticized the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), calling it a “complete fraud” that is used to benefit only political favorites, ARY News reported.

Speaking to the media, Hafiz Naeem said that flood-hit areas should be declared calamity-affected and that the government must provide direct relief instead of routing assistance through Benazir Income Support (BISP). He alleged that the programme is exploited for political gain rather than helping the poor.

The JI leader further accused the Sindh and Punjab governments of wasting billions of taxpayers’ rupees on self-promotional advertisements. “Over the last 15 years, Murtaza Wahab’s party has consumed Rs3,360 billion belonging to Karachi’s people. Of the Rs27 billion they mention, 80 percent goes into salaries,” he said.

Hafiz Naeem also alleged that Wahab’s party and institutions are involved in large-scale corruption, terming their actions as deception and betrayal of the people.

On foreign policy, the JI chief reaffirmed Pakistan’s historic stance on Israel. “Our position, from Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal until today, has been clear: Pakistan has never recognized Israel and will never do so,” he stressed.

He also called on the international community to ensure the protection of humanitarian flotillas from Israeli attacks and acts of terrorism.

Also Read: Hafiz Naeem demands tax exemption on salaries up to Rs1.4mln

Earlier, Amir Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Saturday urged the federal government to increase the tax exemption slab for the salaried class, earning up to 1.44 million annually (Rs120,000 monthly) in the upcoming FY26 budget.

Addressing a new conference in Karachi, Hafiz Naeem said that salaried individuals are already under economic pressure and should not be further burdened through taxation.

“The government should widen the tax net by bringing feudal landlords under direct taxation instead of squeezing the working class,” he stated.

He also called for further reductions in power tariffs, particularly in Karachi.