Hafiz Naeem vows JI will fight injustice without turning to ethnic agendas

LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday vowed that JI would continue raising its voice against all forms of oppression while avoiding ethnic or nationalist politics.

Addressing participants of JI’s Ijtima-i-Aam at Minar-i-Pakistan, Naeem said the global system of injustice must come to an end, stressing that massacres in Palestine and exploitation by Western powers demanded unified resistance.

He said it was the fundamental responsibility of Islamic movements to unite oppressed communities across the world — Muslim and non-Muslim alike.

Hafiz Naeem urged his supporters to stand with people suffering under an unfair system, stating that humanity was in distress because power rested in the hands of a few.

He added that while the party had never avoided local political struggles, it remained committed to a non-ethnic, non-divisive approach.

“We will not pit provinces against one another. We will not allow Balochistan to be turned against Punjab, or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against Sindh,” he said, warning that popular slogans often led political groups towards ethnic nationalism.

Commenting on Pakistan’s political situation, the JI chief said that until the announcement of general elections, no JI candidate would participate in any electoral process. He also demanded the release of all political prisoners.

Presenting what he described as the party’s future roadmap, Hafiz Naeem said one clear objective was to continue striving for the supremacy of Islam.

“We will protect the faith until our last breath. Establishing Allah’s system on earth is our duty, and mixing any other system with it amounts to shirk (Polytheism),” he said.

He called for discipline within the party, saying that movements without discipline “dissolve into the air.” He urged all supporters to offer prayers (Namaz) regularly.

Pakistan belonged to the people — not to feudal lords or powerful elites, he added.