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LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Saturday rejected Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari\u2019s claim that his party enjoyed a public mandate in Karachi, alleging that people across Sindh were increasingly dissatisfied with the PPP.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cPeople across Sindh, not just Karachi, dislike the PPP,\u201d Hafiz Naeem said, accusing the party of manipulating local government elections and using undemocratic means to secure political control in the city.<\/p>\n He claimed that the PPP had suffered a crushing defeat in Karachi\u2019s local government elections, finishing third or fourth in terms of seats and votes, while Jamaat-e-Islami had emerged as the leading party.<\/p>\n The JI chief alleged that the PPP manipulated constituency delimitations to serve its interests and subsequently secured seats through rigging.<\/p>\n He also accused the party of buying the support of 32 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members to install what he described as a \u201cbogus mayor\u201d in Karachi.<\/p>\n Hafiz Naeem further alleged that the PPP had secured seven National Assembly seats in Karachi through rigging.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Bilawal has the courage, he should bring Form 45,\u201d he said, and challenged the PPP chairman to substantiate his claim of having a public mandate in Karachi.<\/p>\n Speaking on broader economic issues, the JI chief cited a World Bank report that poverty was increasing in Pakistan, with 23 per cent of the population living below the poverty line.<\/p>\n He criticised the government for lacking an effective policy to address poverty and claimed that Punjab had recorded a significant increase in poverty.<\/p>\nPoverty, education and economic policies<\/h2>\n