Siraj for early polls, electoral reforms

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Sirajul Haq has reiterated the demand of fresh elections and called for electoral reforms before the general elections.

Addressing a press conference at Mansoora on Tuesday, he demanded Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hold national dialogue for the revival of the economy. The current PM, he added, had frequently highlighted the need of national dialogue on economy as opposition leader in the same assembly.

He said that the JI believed that the general elections were the only way forward to bring the country out of prevailing crises. The nation, he added, was badly polarised and it was the responsibility of the political forces to unite the people. He said the ruling elite failed to address the problems of the people and their only objective was to achieve power by using all fair or unfair means. He said few families were in power for years and they never showed seriousness towards country. The JI, he said, wanted free and fair elections under proportionate representation system, and prepared a draft on pre-poll electoral reforms which would be conveyed to political parties for developing consensus by a committee comprising Liaqat Baloch, Mian Aslam, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed and Ameerul Azim.

He said that the PTI government failed to deliver in three and half years and it seemed that the new government would also be unable to perform because it was amalgamation of different parties having no common agenda. He demanded the prime minister recognise the Afghanistan government and start a dialogue with all political parties to cool down the prevailing tension and tussle among workers and followers of different parties.

To a question, he replied the former prime minister Imran Khan made a telephonic contact and the JI welcomed it though the PTI chairman contacted him after five years. He demanded the Supreme Court form a judicial commission to hold independent investigation into letter-gate.

Sirajul Haq earlier presided over Majlis-e-Aamla (Working Committee) meeting which condemned the Israeli forces terrorist attack on Masjid-e-Aqsa and Islamophobic incidents in Sweden.