JI to back Kashmir struggle within its means: Siraj

& Meeran Karim
LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Amir Sirajul Haq has said his party will continue to extend political, moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris’ freedom struggle against the Indian occupant army.
About the nature of the support, particularly men and material help, he says: “It will comprise every kind of support and cover everything within our means.” He believes that the freedom struggle in Kashmir has so far remained alive only because of Kashmiris, who have been waging a valiant war against Indian occupation and rendering invaluable sacrifices for their freedom.
Born to parents of a humble background in district Dir of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Sirajul Haq had been elected the JI Amir (chief) six months ago. He also served as a senior minister during the Muttahida Majlis-e-Aml (MMA) provincial government from 2002 to 2007, and is also serving in the same capacity currently in the coalition government, headed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
In an interview with The News panel recently, Sirajul Haq said the bulk of Pakistan’s political and social problems had been caused by four martial laws the country experienced, wherein the military dictators made systematic attempts to undermine political institutions and ruin political culture.
He enumerated a number of issues like crippling of political institutions especially parliament, mushroom growth of pressure groups in political field, and insurgencies in Balochistan and other parts of the country which, he believes, were the result of replacing political acumen with the military power.
On the world scene, he says that global capitalist and secular forces have been conspiring to plunder the wealth and resources of the Muslim world through dictatorial and stooge leaders, helping them overthrow elected governments and installing military dictators in their place.
He warned that Western colonists were using all their powers to block the way of genuine democracy taking roots in Pakistan, as it will result in setting up of an Islamists government and end of capitalists control over country’s resources.