Govt trying to cover up ‘failures’ by raising non-issues, says Sirajul Haq

LAHORE:JI ameer Senator Sirajul Haq has demanded the PTI government not to raise nonissues like amending 18th Amendment, National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, NAB laws, etc. to cover up its ‘failures’, and instead focus on solving people’s problems and fulfilling its commitments.

The advent of Ramazan had unleashed a flood of price hike on the masses already struck badly by coronavirus, with the prices of fruit and vegetables increased more than double, multiplying their worries, Sirajul Haq said in a statement from Mansoora here on Monday. Instead of controlling prices and bringing relief to the people, he said, the government was raising nonissues to divert the people’s attention from real issues, he said, adding that the entire attention of the government at this time should be on providing the necessities of life to the masses and facilitating them on Sehri and Iftari.

Sirajul Haq said Prime Minister Imran Khan had frustrated the people on punishing the masterminds of sugar and atta crises despite promising to the nation that he would take action after the forensic report of the scandal made public on April 25. Siraj said the promised report had not come, and people were apprehending that Imran Khan government was once against taking a U-turn on this issue since the perpetrators of atta and sugar mafia were part of his government.

Earlier, Palestine Resistance Movement, Hamas, chief Khaled Mashal contacted the JI chief by telephone and enquired about the health of the JI foreign affair chief Abdul Ghaffar Aziz. Talking to Hamas leader, Sirajul Haq said it was the duty of the Muslims all over the world to strive for the liberation of the Qibla e Awwal and Palestine and to support the oppressed Palestinian for this cause. Israel, he said, was an illegal state and the Zionists had unlawfully occupied Palestine. He assured that the JI would make every sacrifice for the liberation of the Palestine. Khalid Mashal thanked Senator Sirajul Haq for his sentiments and said people of Pakistan had always expressed deep love for the Palestinians and they (Palestinians) were highly indebted to them for that.

Meanwhile, JI naib ameer Liaqat Baloch slammed the government for talking of amending the 18th Amendment and changes in NFC Award only to cover up its failures in controlling the corona virus. Addressing the party delegations at Mansoora, he said the PTI government proved itself a total failure in legislation and accountability. The parliament was not being given due importance for legislation and the National Assembly had become merely a tool in the hand of the ruling junta. He said amending NAB Ordinance had not become law and the government had not acted on time. He said accountability appeared to be mere victimisation. He said that end of accountability was encouraging corruption and corrupt mafia.

Liaqat Baloch asked why the report of atta and sugar scandal had been delayed and why had the Prime Minister Imran Khan made a bold statement of dealing with the corrupt mafia by April 25? The government, he said, was changing its positions and issuing sentimental announcements. He said that the brutalities of the Indian occupation forces in Held Kashmir had increased since the change of the constitutional status of the valley and people from all walks of life including political leaders, doctors and journalists had become common victims. He deplored that the government had not devised any strategy to deal with this situation.

Earlier, a delegation of Ulema headed by Allama Asghar Arif Chishti called on Liaqat Baloch and discussed the situation created by the coronavirus. The delegation emphasised that corona had affected the people all over the world and all possible precautionary measures must be adopted to control its havoc and added that this was the dictate of the Shariah.