PPP trying to escape from LG polls, says Siraj

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Sirajul Haq on Sunday accused the Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government of trying to get the local government elections in Karachi postponed again, saying that the PPP wanted to escape from the polls due to its dismal governance for the past 14 years.

Addressing a local government convention organised by the Karachi chapter of the party on New MA Jinnah Road, he blamed the ruinous conditions of Karachi on incompetency and apathy of the federal and provincial governments, stating that the city had been facing severe issues of street crime, broken roads and lack of other basic facilities, including health, education and clean drinking water.

According to a statement issued by the party, a large number of JI workers, representatives from all walks of life and hundreds of candidates of the local government elections attended the convention.

Haq said the PPP had captured Karachi and other parts of Sindh for the last 14 years. He said the attempts by the ruling parties to get the LG polls in the city further delayed predicted the results of the elections.

He said the PPP’s attempts to postpone the polls were a visible sign of its impending defeat in the elections. The JI chief also criticised the federal government for the rising inflation. He demanded that the federal government reduce prices of petroleum products by at least Rs100 per litre.

The prices of petroleum products had been decreasing in the international market, he said, calling for the government to take solid measures to provide relief to the inflation-hit people in the country.

Haq rejected the politics of both the ruling coalition in the federal government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He said that the parties under the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and PTI had been diverting the attention of people from the actual issues of the country.

He remarked that the PDM and PTI were on the same page when it came to the slavery of the International Monetary Fund, Financial Action Task Force’s demands, the transgender law and other issues.

A peaceful Islamic system of governance was the only way forward to make the country prosper, Haq maintained. He added that the JI had become the only option for the people in the elections as it offered both competency and honesty.

The corrupt rulers robbed the national exchequer and Tosha Khana, he said as he termed the cypher scandal and audio leaks manifestation of dirty politics. Karachi JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also addressed the convention. He said the JI had launched the Karachi Rights Movement and took up all the serious issues of the city that had been ignored by other political parties. He maintained that the people of Karachi recognised their friends and foes.

Talking about the recent floods, he mentioned that the entire JI team acted as volunteers to mitigate the sufferings of the victims. However, he stated that non-governmental organisations were not a substitute for the government.

He said the recent floods had further unmasked the real face of the PPP. He condemned the PPP government’s intentions against the local government elections, saying that the elected local governments were the only way to address the longstanding issues of the city.