Rulers not ready to accept rule of law, says Siraj

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) ameer Senator Sirajul Haq has said democracy implies rule of law, not monarchy but sadly, the country’s rulers are not ready to accept this principle and persistently trying to enforce their own dictatorship. 

Addressing a consultative meeting of JI affiliated bodies at Mansoora on Wednesday, Siraj said unfortunately, civilian rulers and dictators in Pakistan wanted the state institutions and the courts to be subservient to them. The rulers were not ready to attach any importance or sanctity to the Constitution or law. Instead, they treated the laws and rules as toys only to serve their interests, he added. Sirajul Haq said Nawaz Sharif’s appearance before the NAB court was a healthy sign, but the court had summoned him as an accused because he was accused of amassing assets beyond his known means of earning.

He said after being indicted by the court, Finance Minister should have stepped down from his office even if there was no demand for that from any quarter. JI ameer said for the last seventy years, the rulers had been making a mockery of the Constitution and law as they thought themselves above everything. However, he said, the times had changed and now the criminals and plunderers would have to give due respect to the courts and also account for their wealth. Sira said from the very beginning, JI had been demanding accountability of all those named in Panama Leaks besides those who had plundered country’s banks and public money in any form and for recovering their ill gotten wealth abroad.

To a question regarding changing the leader of Opposition in National Assembly, Sirajul Haq said Syed Khurshid Shah as well as PTI leader Shah Mehmud Qureshi had contacted him by phone in this regard. However, he said, for the time being, the real issue before JI was the elimination of corruption.