Siraj says govt pushed poor to extreme poverty

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Sirajul Haq said the cruel policies of the PTI government multiplied inflation, pushing the labourers, small farmers and other underprivileged segment of the society to extreme poverty.

The IMF dictated privatisation and de-subsidization policies of Imran-led government that had not only thrown millions more under the poverty line but also created uncertainty among thousands of employees in different organisations, bringing further decline to the performance of public sector, he said while addressing delegation of labourers representatives which called on him Thursday at the Mansoora. Siraj said the workers needed safe and secure environment to ensure their contribution to country’s development.

Therefore, he added, the government should shun the idea of privatisation and prepare a plan to strengthen and turn public utilities profitable. This could only happen when the government gives sense of ownership to workers and took them on board in decision making process, he added. He said the JI would strongly resist the privatisation of the state institutions and assets.

Siraj said the government failed in providing protection to the workers of private sector. He said the labourers should be paid the minimum wage set by the government and their working hours should not exceed to the limit defined under the laws. He said it happened only in Pakistan that coal mine workers were buried alive, having no security and protection of their rights. He said the government should ensure health and education facilities to working community and their families. A system based on the principles of Quran and Sunnah was solution to country’s problems. He said the JI would bring the country out of crises if voted to power.