Siraj asks PDM and PTI to quit federal and provincial governments if they can’t run country

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Sirajul Haq has asked the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to quit the federal and provincial governments if they were unable to run the country's affairs smoothly.

“These political parties have ruined the country,” said the JI chief while addressing a press conference held at the party headquarters in Karachi — Idara Noor-e-Haq — on Friday. He said the PDM was ruling in the Centre and the PTI and PPP were ruling in provinces. The situation was becoming more and more grim with each passing day but the three regimes were enjoying their perks and privileges, he added.

Haq said the ever-rising inflation, lawlessness and unrest had pushed 90 million Pakistanis below the line of poverty, but the ruling class seemed unshaken. The country's economy was on the verge of collapse but the finance minister was misleading the nation, he said, adding that the foreign exchange reserves had dropped significantly, causing serious problems in banking transactions and other affairs.

The JI chief said the federal and provincial governments were shifting the blame for the financial debacle, whereas the people were paying the price of their incompetency and corruption. He also took up the issue of reported corruption and mismanagement during the rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations in the flood-affected areas of Pakistan. He said the government would have to answer for the corruption and plundering as the people had the right to know about where the donations were spent.

The government should have helped the 33.5 million flood victims as the foreign and domestic aids were supposed to be spent on them and not to be syphoned off, he remarked. He said Rs1.34 billion of the total Rs2.34 billion budget for disaster management in Balochistan had reportedly fallen prey to corruption. Thousands of people in Balochistan had been holding a sit-in for the past 29 days for their due rights after the federal and provincial governments failed to keep their promises, he added.