Siraj wants general elections as per schedule

LAHORE: Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Ameer Senator Sirajul Haq has said that general elections must be held on schedule to avoid a political crisis in the country.

Addressing the Supreme Council of the JI Youth at Mansoora on Sunday after his return from a 12-day visit to Europe, Sirajul Haq said that uncertainty still prevailed regarding elections. He said that the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s threat to fight against the institutions did not auger well for the democratic system. He said that liberating the country’s politics from the hold of a few families was a big challenge. He said that as long as the politics moved around a few individuals and families, the dream of people rule could not be realised.

He said the JI was the only truly democratic party in the country and it was striving for real democracy in the country. He said that land mafia, sugar mafia and drug mafia had taken shelter in political parties and, after reaching the corridors of power through their ill-gotten wealth, they abused their authority to amass more wealth and totally ignored the electorate’s welfare. He said that the electorate should review their attitude in this respect. Sirajul Haq said that the corrupt elite was responsible for the mass illiteracy, unemployment, lawlessness and lack of health facilities. The feudal lords and capitalists are devouring the fruit of the hard work of the labourers and peasants, he said, adding that the JI wanted to make the workers and Haris shareholders in the profits and earnings of industries and lands.

JI, tribal elders: Jamaat e Islami Secretary General Liaqat Baloch and leading tribal elders have called upon the government to immediately present a bill for FATA’s merger in the National Assembly in the light of the Sartaj Aziz Committee report.

Addressing a joint press conference at Mansoora on Sunday, Liaqat Baloch said that the PML-N government itself was hesitant on the issue and was adopting a hostile attitude instead of being a supporter. He said that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi himself was undecided due to the divergent opinions within the ruling party. He said that the ruling junta had always created obstacles for the country only to protect its interests.

The tribal elders held the government responsible for the delay in FATA’s merger. The JI secretary general demanded of the government to announce FATA’s merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before the elections and grant the right of representation in provincial assembly and local bodies. He said that the FCR should be abolished in FATA, and the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the Peshawar High Court be extended to the tribal areas. He demanded that a special package must be announced for the development of infrastructure in FATA and a reasonable share be given in the NFC Award to FATA to bring it on a par with other parts of the country. Liaqat Baloch said that the US defeat in Afghanistan was quite visible and it was advisable to merge FATA with KP as soon as possible. He said the parliament was the supreme institution so there was no constitutional requirement for referendum or public opinion on the issue. Tribal elders Zarnoor Afridi, Dr Munsif Khan, Maulana Wahid Gul, Soofi Hamid, Taj Muhammad Wazeer, Raj Muhammad Orakzai, Hikmatyar and JI chief from the tribal areas and Sardar Khan were also present.

Meanwhile, the Jamaat e Islami Lahore chapter is organising a demonstration at the Lahore Press Club today to press for immediate merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and abolition of the FCR. JI Secretary General, Liaqat Baloch will lead the demonstration. Prominent tribal elders will also join the rally. They include JI chief for tribal areas, Sardar Khan, Dr Munsif Khan and Zarnoor Afridi. Hundreds of tribal people already in the city would also join the event.