PESHAWAR (Dunya News) - Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has announced a campaign to demand free education for all children in Pakistan.
Speaking to the media at the Peshawar Press Club, he said inflation, high electricity bills and rising petrol prices had placed a heavy burden on the public. He criticised the government for failing to provide basic facilities despite collecting substantial taxes.
He said that after launching a movement against the petroleum levy, Jamaat-e-Islami would now start a campaign to secure the right to education.
Hafiz Naeem claimed that more than 89,000 people had been killed in Gaza and that over Rs10 billion in funds had been delivered for the people there. He said his party was also working to provide education, including medical studies, to students from Gaza.
He highlighted the party’s Bano Qabil programme, describing it as an initiative designed to equip young people with modern education and professional skills. He said various training programmes had been launched across Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and that more than 1.7 million children were receiving training under 100 per cent scholarships.
Questioning the government’s priorities, he asked why the state could not provide similar educational opportunities when Jamaat-e-Islami was running training programmes on such a large scale. He maintained that quality free education was a fundamental right of every Pakistani child.
The JI chief expressed concern over the number of out-of-school children, claiming that 5 million children were out of school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more than 11.8 million in Punjab and over 7 million in Sindh.
He also criticised statements by the Punjab chief minister, saying they gave the impression that the country’s problems had been overcome, despite persistent challenges in education and other basic services.
Discussing fuel and electricity prices, Hafiz Naeem said people were struggling with rising bills and petroleum costs. He claimed that the government collected Rs135 in taxes on every litre of petrol and criticised the petroleum levy policy, describing it as “petrol extortion”.
He reiterated that Jamaat-e-Islami would continue its campaign against the petroleum levy and launch a separate movement demanding quality free education and equal educational opportunities for children across the country.