Govt blaming court to hide blunders: Siraj

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Senator Sirajul Haq has accused the government of making futile efforts to cover up its blunders by placing the responsibility of police crackdown on Faizabad sit-in on the judiciary.
Had the government taken law minister’s resignation at the start accepting demands of the protesters and the public, many killings and heavy losses of property could have been avoided, the JI leader Monday said addressing the party central leadership at Mansoora.
He said violence against peaceful protesters by the state in the sacred month of Rabi-ul-Awwal was even more deplorable. Sirajul Haq said the government had been dragging the judiciary in every issue but it could not be absolved of the financial losses and deaths in the country. He suggested that the government should confess to its failures, seek an apology from the nation and offer compensation for the losses.
Siraj made it clear that there could never be any compromise on Islam and the democratic system. He said the JI stood by democracy and added if there was any threat to democracy, it was from the negative attitude of the rulers themselves. He alleged the government had made no effort to hold talks with sit-in protesters and make them understand in a positive manner. He said even now the rulers are not ready to give a serious thought to their attitude or give up their wrong policies. He said it had been proved once again that use of state force was no solution to any issue. Instead, he said, Islamic system provided solution to all our problems. He demanded the government to avoid traditional delaying tactics and release all those arrested during sit-in protests. He said whenever country’s democratic system was shelved in the past, it was due to the wrong decision of the rulers.
Sirajul Haq said an effective accountability system was essential for a true democracy. He said instead of hampering accountability or considering themselves above accountability, the rulers should allow the accountability institutions to work freely. He said the government did not have enough time for self-accountability while its image had been tarnished due to its efforts to please the liberal and secular elements, he alleged.