Siraj blasts govt over passage of SBP bill

PESHAWAR: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq on Saturday blasted the government for the legislation about the State Bank of Pakistan and announced to stage 100 sit-ins against the government and the final sit-in - the 101th – would be held in Islamabad.

The legislation about the State Bank of Pakistan was tantamount to selling the Quaid-e-Azam established bank at the hands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he said.

“The incompetent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s first handed over Kashmir to India without fighting and now handed over the country’s economy to the international financial institutions,” he told a news conference here.

Flanked by the lone JI member in the National Assembly Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali and provincial deputy chief of the party Maulana Mohammad Ismail, the JI chief said that with the autonomy of the State Bank, its governor has been given the status of the ‘Vice-Roy. ‘

He said that the bill was drafted by the IMF and according to the new act, the State Bank would not be accountable to parliament, prime minister and finance minister.

He also criticised the opposition for supporting the government in passing the bill. He said that if the opposition wanted, the State Bank bill and mini-budget would not have been passed by the Senate.

The JI leader said that the opposition was equally responsible for passing the bill, which proved that despite their differences the government and major opposition parties were on the same page for accomplishment of the agenda of the imperialist forces.

The ruling elite had pushed the 220 million people of the country towards economic slavery, he said, adding. “The prime minister has been raising the slogans of Tipu Sultan but acting like Mir Jafar.”

Sirajul Haq further said that the Senate chairman accepted the amendments suggested by JI in the State Bank Ordinance but he did not table them in the House.

He urged the government to take back the mini-budget, end the interest-based system and remove the governor State Bank. He demanded a 50 percent decrease in the prices of daily use items, electricity, gas, petroleum and edibles.

“If the government is unable to give relief to the people, it should step down and go home,” he stressed.

He said that the worst corruption had been made in the country during the current government and the ministers and mafias affiliated with it had embezzled Rs 880 billion. He said that the government ministers were seen involved in all the scandals, but action could not be taken against any of them.

About the campaign for presidential system, the JI chief said that the drive had been deliberately launched to divert the attention of the masses from the real issues.

To a question, he said that owing to the flawed policies of the government and mortgaging the country’s economy, the defense of the country was faced with serious problems. The IMF would now give us dictation on the defense budget as well, he added.

About the opposition's long march, he said that the JI has nothing to do with long or short marches.