Jamaat-e-Islami Challenges Elite Capture, Launches Youth Programs

Jamaat-e-Islami leadership has sharply criticised Pakistan's economic model that burdens the salaried class and poor with heavy indirect taxes while the elite enjoy exemptions. Speaking at an Al-Khidmat Karachi event, the party highlighted how petroleum levy, fixed electricity charges, and regressive taxation extract hundreds of billions from ordinary citizens. Meanwhile, feudal landlords and ruling elites pay minimal taxes and acquire luxury assets using public funds. The address framed this disparity as elite capture protected by political cartels across party lines.

Economic Injustice and the Petroleum Levy

The speaker detailed how every litre of petrol includes approximately Rs135-136 in government levies — petroleum levy, climate support levy, and customs duty — unrelated to global oil prices. When international prices rose during the Iran-Israel conflict, the government removed subsidies and increased the levy further. In contrast, the salaried class paid Rs650-700 billion in taxes annually while large landholders collectively contributed only Rs12 billion. The Federal Board of Revenue reportedly holds Rs1,300 billion in corruption, and the government targets Rs1,570 billion from petroleum levy alone on the middle class and poor.

This two-class system, the address argued, persists because all major political parties are beholden to land, IPP, oil marketing, and banking mafias that fund their rallies and household expenses. Jamaat-e-Islami claimed independence from such funding, relying on worker donations, enabling it to lead a movement against the petroleum levy. The party announced imminent "good news" on reducing petrol prices and eliminating the levy through sustained public pressure.

Al-Khidmat's Bano Qabil and Z-Connect Expansion

Al-Khidmat's Bano Qabil programme has expanded from Karachi to Chitral, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, all of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Balochistan — including Gwadar, Loralai, Jafarabad, and Quetta. Aptitude tests in these areas filled entire grounds despite poor local conditions, demonstrating demand for technical education where governments have failed. Over 1.6-1.7 million students have registered nationwide, with millions passing out, creating measurable economic impact. Courses are being redesigned to prioritise artificial intelligence skills aligned with current market demands.

Complementing Bano Qabil, the new Z-Connect programme targets Generation Z with three pillars: IT courses, startup incubation with micro-financing and workspace, and sports facilities for both genders. The initiative aims to shift youth from job-seeking to entrepreneurship, creating employers rather than employees. Al-Khidmat emphasised that technical skills alone are insufficient; moral training (tarbiyat) must accompany education to prevent technology misuse. The speaker cited Israel and America as examples of advanced technology without ethics causing destruction in Gaza.

Youth Empowerment, Merit, and National Unity

The address condemned systemic discrimination in government hiring, noting Karachi domicile holders face closed doors in secretariats and teaching posts. Jamaat-e-Islami and Al-Khidmat pledged merit-based inclusion for all ethnicities — Pashtuns, Sindhis, Baloch, Muhajirs, Punjabis, Saraikis, Kashmiris, Gilgitis, Baltis, Memons, Gujaratis — and non-Muslim students. The provincial government was characterised as "racist" for closing opportunities. Youth were urged to pursue political struggle for rights while building personal capability through education, entrepreneurship, and respect for elders.

Closing with a call to purposeful living, the speaker reminded youth that Pakistan belongs to those who sacrificed for it — migrants who left homes, businesses, and ancestral graves for a just system. Elite capture thrives on division: Muhajir vs Sindhi, Pashtun vs Punjabi, sectarian slogans. With 65% of the population young, despair is unjustified. Freedom from elite control requires political engagement and self-development. The event concluded honouring Al-Khidmat volunteers and urging youth to "light lamp from lamp" for a greater Pakistan.