Talking to the media in Islamabad, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman called tree cutting and the local government system a threat to the future of Pakistan.
He said that the government is giving the impression that the damage has been compensated by planting thousands of new trees, while the reality is that a big tree establishes an ecological balance in several decades, the replacement of which is not immediately possible.
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman stressed that it is necessary to abolish the existing local government ordinances in Islamabad and hold timely elections so that the people get representation at the local level.
Criticizing the Punjab Local Government Act, he said that not electing the Union Council Chairman through direct vote is against democratic values and that this law is benefiting certain groups.
He added that political manipulation starts after non-partisan elections, which reduces the importance of public opinion.
