Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said on Sunday that Pakistan’s future depended on empowering its youth and reforming the existing governance system, arguing that political power should not remain concentrated in the hands of a few families.
Addressing the “Bano Qabil” graduation ceremony organised by the Al-Khidmat Foundation in Islamabad, he congratulated the graduates and said the country possessed enormous human potential. He added that millions of young people were benefiting from educational and skills-development opportunities, leaving no justification for Pakistan to fall behind other nations.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the Constitution guaranteed every child free and equal-quality education, but millions of children, including many in Punjab, remained out of school while the public education system continued to deteriorate.
He said maintaining separate education systems for affluent and underprivileged students was unacceptable, adding that Pakistan’s national interests should never be compromised. He stressed that the country’s youth had the capacity to lead it towards economic growth and prosperity.
Highlighting the party’s education initiative, he claimed that more than 1.6 million young people had registered under the “Bano Qabil” programme and that millions had completed their training. He also said Jamaat-e-Islami planned to establish a university in the future.
The JI chief criticised the government’s economic policies, alleging that inflation and taxation had disproportionately burdened low- and middle-income households while billions of rupees were being allocated to selected sectors.
He said that if Jamaat-e-Islami came to power, it would introduce a uniform system of free, high-quality education across the country.
Concluding his address, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman urged young Pakistanis to remain optimistic, take pride in their country and actively contribute to its development and progress.