Parties gave election tickets to the corrupt: Siraj

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and MMA Vice-President Senator Sirajul Haq has expressed concerns over the political parties awarding election tickets to those who changed parties, saying the country seemed to be going towards turncoats' system instead of democracy.

“Those who should have been in jail were awarded party tickets to allow them plunder public money for another five years. It seems articles 62 and 63 have been made a mere show pieces of the constitution,” he said while addressing journalists an Eid Milan party on Thursday.

Jamiat Ahle Hadith leader Ibtesam Elabi Zaheer, JI spokesman and MMA candidate for PP-135 Ameerul Azeem, JI Information Secretary Qaiser Sharif, Deputy Information Secretary Shamsuddin Amjad and MMA Deputy Information Secretary Zahid Akhundzada were also present.

The Jamaat-e-Islami chief warned that return of the corrupt faces as candidates had made the masses uncertain about the elections and people were asking if elections would take place. He said the parliament was like a goldmine for the corrupt people who multiply their wealth overnight after election.

He termed the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats more dangerous than the Indian nuclear bomb, and "economic and political terrorists." Sirajul Haq asked the people to keep in mind that professional politicians had no sympathy with them and no agenda for development. He asked the nation to vote for honest candidats and defeat those parties which welcomed the corrupt in the name of electables to their folds.

He said 95 percent MMA’s election tickets were finalised and promised to end interest-based economy and banking system, direct taxes to ease burden on the poor, introduce Zakar and Ushr system to increase taxpayers from 0.8 million to 90 million, end VIP culture, and introduce old age allowance for all above 70 years of age and unemployment allowance, and make it part of human rights.