PTI govt using tree-plantation drive as political stunt: Siraj

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Sirajul Haq has criticised the PTI government for using tree-plantation campaign as a political stunt for political mileage, saying Imran Khan’s government has no other performance to show in any other field, as all its projects badly failed in past three years from sports to agriculture, billion trees to 300 dams and industry to business.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan was himself a cricketer but even the sports have not seen any improvement in his tenure. Playgrounds are empty and sports persons are desperate finding no patronage from the government,” he said while talking to media after visiting star weight lifter Olympian Talha Talib Wednesday.

The JI chief congratulated and awarded Talha with cash prize and gifts for showing excellent performance in Tokyo Olympic. He demanded the government to extend facilities to Talha and other talented youth for enabling them to compete and win international events.

Taking to media, he said the electoral reforms were the only way forward to strengthen democracy in the country. He said the JI was in favour of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) but they should be first used as pilot project instead of introducing them in all over the country during the polls. He said the PTI failed to improve the situation of small farmers and bringing down the prices of seeds, pesticides, fertilizers and agriculture machinery. He reiterated the JI would take part in polls under its own flag and electoral symbol and would not be part of any alliance.

To a question, he said peace in Afghanistan was vital for Pakistan but India was bent upon fuelling civil war in the country and it could cause damage to Islamabad’s interests. He said the PTI government did nothing for Kashmir cause and it seemed both Islamabad and New Delhi reached a settlement on Kashmir. However, he warned that the people of Kashmir and Pakistan would never accept any hidden agreement and the fate of the region should be decided according to the UN resolutions.