LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman on Sunday said the party wanted transparent elections based on proportional representation, terming it the most effective democratic mechanism to free politics from feudalism, tribal dominance and the grip of money power. Addressing a reception at Minar-e-Pakistan Ground held in honour of organisers and workers who rendered services during the recent public gathering, he said proportional representation was essential to liberate the masses from political hostage-taking by wealthy elites. He also criticised the existing police and justice system, saying the thana-kutchery setup served only a few powerful groups and failed to deliver justice to the common people. He stressed that comprehensive police reforms were the need of the hour. The JI chief announced nationwide sit-ins on December 21 in support of an empowered local government system. He also indicated that the party would reorganise its protest movement against agreements with Independent Power Producers (IPPs), adding that it would be better if the government resolved the issue with IPPs before the formal launch of the renewed agitation. The JI Emir said the public gathering had marked the beginning of a countrywide struggle against the obsolete system. He announced that JI would form 50,000 public committees and enroll five million new members within the next year. He said protest movements would continue alongside constructive initiatives aimed at improvement and reform. Highlighting the youth-oriented programmes, he described the Z-Connect initiative as a revolutionary step for the younger generation, under which youth were being provided training in information technology and various vocational skills. He said interest-free loans would be offered to help young people start small businesses, opportunities in sports would be expanded, and moral and character-building training would also be ensured. The JI chief said local governments were the most effective tier in any democratic system, but successive ruling parties in Pakistan had consistently ignored them. He criticised so-called major political parties for being dominated by families and personalities, saying political workers had no meaningful role in such setups. He cited Punjab’s new local government law as a clear example, saying family-run parties were unwilling to devolve power to the people. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025