Country faces worst form of monarchy: Siraj

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Senator Sirajul Haq said the country was under worst form of monarchy in the name of democracy.

Addressing the concluding session of JI central Shoora at Mansoora Sunday evening, he said the people converting the Quaid’s Pakistan into a land full of problems were nation’s villains and a mass movement was essential to bring the corrupt elite to accountability. Sirajul Haq said the division in society was getting deep and the oppressive system was being backed by such elements in the bureaucracy and establishment as were colonial agents who were afraid of Islam and believed in religion only to the extent of culture.

The JI chief said the democratic system alone was the path of Nizam-e-Mustafa and JI was determined to bring about a revolution through polls. Sirajul Haq said a few families had decided between themselves to support one another to get power and not to speak against each other’s corruption. He observed that the country was in the grip of feudal lords and only the wealthy could get justice from the courts. He said the leaders of the parties coming to power by turns had built places in London, Dubai, Washington and Paris, while the poor masses were unable to make both ends meet. He said the rulers could not name a single sector of life where there had been any improvement.

The JI chief said the corrupt elite, with the support of the Election Commission, had taken the entire election system as hostage. He said the rulers had always hurt the confidence of the masses and violated the sanctity of vote. He said that despite its repeated assurances, the Election Commission had failed to protect the sanctity of ballot. He said the feudal lords and capitalists of every area had been contesting elections and managed to return to the assemblies with the power of their wealth. He said the majority of the masses had lost faith in the elections and this was evident from the fact that only 25 to 30 percent of the electorate turned up for vote. He said the general public believed that elections could not bring about any change unless electoral reforms were undertaken. He said that the Election Commission should immediately begin electoral reforms to be able to complete the task before the next elections.

Sirajul Haq directed the Shoora members and JI district heads to intensify their mass contact campaign in their areas and carry the party message to every nook and corner of the country. He said if they were able to enlist 10 million voters, the nation could be freed from the clutches of the plunderers. He also urged the masses to change their electoral attitude.

Meanwhile, Senator Sirajul Haq, JI Secretary General Liaqat Baloch, JI deputy chiefs Hafiz Muhammad Idrees, Mian Muhammad Aslam, Asadullah Bhutto, Rashid Naseem, Prof Muhammad Ibrahim, Dr Farid Ahmed Piracha, besides JI Information Secretary Amirul Azeem and former Information Secretary M Anwar Niazi expressed grief over the death of senior journalist and columnist Syed Anwar Kidwai, and the wife of veteran journalist Abdul Qadir Hasan. The JI leaders prayed for the departed souls and offered condolences to the bereaved families.