Siraj warns against harassing protesters

LAHORE

Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Senator Siraj-ul-Haq has warned that harassing political workers with batons to deter them from protesting against corruption amounted to terrorism and must be checked, since any uprising against corruption was neither unconstitutional nor unlawful. 

Addressing the JI central media committee at Mansoora on Monday, Siraj-ul-Haq stressed that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should present the country’s principled stance on Kashmir at the UN General Assembly with full courage. At the same time, he said, the PM should also take up the issue of judicial murders in Bangladesh, Indian Premier Modi’s admission of his role in the dismemberment of Pakistan, and India’s involvement in Balochistan. 

He said Modi was not attending UN General Assembly session as he could not face the world reaction to the brutalities of the Indian occupation forces in Held Kashmir. However, he said, the government’s silence or expediency on this issue at the UN would not be in the interest of the country and Kashmir. 

Siraj-ul-Haq said that the government should check those talking of the use of force in order to avoid chaos and confrontation. At the same time, he said, all the political parties, including the ruling party, should ask their workers to show tolerance and political accommodation as the country could not afford the culture of batons and blows. However, he declared that the JI would chase the plunderers of the public wealth until recovery of their ill-gotten money. He urged the opposition parties to purge their ranks of the corrupt as they did not deserve any concession.

He said the JI protest against corruption would strengthen the public confidence in democracy. He said the JI’s drive against corruption would bear fruit and the plunderers would have to account for every penny of their wealth. He said some elements believed that they would escape accountability because of their high political status. He said that transparent accountability was the requirement of the country’s Constitution and the law.

Baloch: JI secretary-general Liaqat Baloch called on Iranian Consul General Muhammad Husain Asadi on Monday and discussed with him the situation in the region and the problems of Muslim Ummah.

Baloch said the region was facing crises and Muslim unity could help overcome the crises and extremism. He believed strong ties among Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and Pakistan could foil the designs of anti-Islam forces. 

Liaqat Baloch said India was enhancing anti-Pakistan feelings and creating an atmosphere of war.

New Delhi, he said, wanted to escalate tensions to hide its oppression in Kashmir besides her cruel role in Bangladesh and Balochistan.