People will eradicate ‘political pollution’ on Feb 8: JI

PESHAWAR: Central Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Sirajul Haq has said that February 8 would be the day of “political smog” in the country, urging the people to elect the right people who could eradicate the “political pollution” from the country.

“The election day would be the day of relief for the people and the accountability of the three major parties. 

The leaders of the major parties have been nourished by the security forces and they have wasted 40 years of the country,” he said, while addressing a convention of the party candidates for the National and provincial assemblies.

The JI also announced the names of party’s candidates for the election on the occasion. Central Vice-President of the party Liaquat Baloch, Provincial President Prof Mohammad Ibraheem Khan, Vice-President Maulana Mohammad Ismail, Inayatullah Khan, General Secretary Abdul Wasi and party leader Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan were also present on the occasion.

Sirajul Haq said that the so-called major political parties and the dictatorial governments were the root cause of every problem in the country. “They endangered the freedom and sovereignty of the country. They brought price hike and joblessness to the country. They were responsible for the economic debacle and lawlessness,” he stressed.

He said that true democracy could not be flourished even for a single day in the country. He said that the country has gone into the slavery of the IMF and the World Bank (WB) due to the flawed policies of these rulers, who have repeatedly deceived the people after coming into power turn by turn.

“The leaders of these political parties became billionaire and the country came under the debt worth trillions. And they were shamelessly claiming that they have not done any corruption,” Siraj alleged.

He said that these three political parties come closer to the people when elections draw near and when they are voted to power, they forget the promise they make with the people during the election campaign.

He said that the three political parties had no difference except names. They have the same agenda on Kashmir and other issues. They want to hand over Kashmir to India, he alleged. Their agenda on the IMF and Transgender Bill was also the same, he said. He said that the PMLN was critical of former army chief, but when it came to give him extension the same party joined hands with the other political forces.

He said that JI would make alliance with the people of Pakistan only in the next elections. “How can we make an alliance with those involved in the Panama Leaks, looters of the national exchequer and those who ruined national institutions like PIA, Steel Mills and others,” he said.

Meanwhile, the central parliamentary board of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has accorded approval to the candidates for some 26 national and 77 provincial assembly seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for the general elections scheduled to be held on February 8.

The names of candidates were unveiled by the provincial secretary general of the party during a party convention here on Monday. According to details Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali would be party candidate on NA-1, Chitral, Naved Iqbal on NA-2, Swat-1, Akhtar Ali Khan on NA-3, Swat-2, Fazle Subhan on NA-4, Swat-3, Sahibzada Tariqullah on NA-5 Dir Upper, Maulana Ismail on NA-6 Dir Lower-1, Sirajul Haq on NA-7 Dir Lower-2, Sahibzada Haroonur Rasheed, NA-8 Bajaur, Jamaluddin on NA-9 Malakand, Bakht Jahan Khan on NA-10 Buner, Haji Imdadullah NA-13 Battagram, Dr Tariq Sherazi NA-14 Mansehra 1, Abdur Razzaq Abbasi, NA-17 Abbottabad, Umer Gul Jadoon on NA-19 Swabi, Dr Ataur Rahman NA-21 Mardan 1, Syed Kaleem Bacha, NA-22 Mardan-2, Hafiz Aqib Ismail NA 23 Mardan 3, Mujeebur Rahman on NA 25 Charsadda 2, Malak Saeed Khan, NA 26 Mohmand, Shah Faisal Afridi on NA-27 Khyber, Hafiz Hashmat Khan on NA 28, Peshawar 3, Mohammad Rasool on NA 35 Kohat, Dr Latif Gul on NA 36 Hangu, Maulana Mehbub Janan on NA 38 Karak, Prof Mohammad Ibraheem Khan on NA 39 Bannu, Mufti Irfanullah on NA 41 Lakki Marwat and Mufti Mohammad Imtiaz on NA 42 Tank.

Similarly, the party has fielded candidates on the 77 constituencies for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in the next elections.