LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has criticized the Punjab government’s farmer package as displaying double standards, saying the chief minister has refused to procure wheat from farmers, citing the emptiness of the national exchequer, only to now announce a superficial gesture.
He voiced concern that the proposed 400 billion package would likely fall prey to corruption, asserting that JI would not allow such misuse of funds.
Speaking at the Kissan March outside the Punjab CM House on Thursday, Rehman emphasized the need for peaceful resistance to combat the entrenched mafia ruling the nation.
He announced the JI would collect data of farmers loss and get the money back from rulers.
He decried the current government’s legitimacy, alleging electoral fraud, and urged the Chief Justice to address the issue of election rigging. Highlighting the concentration of land ownership among a small feudal elite, he argued that Pakistan was not founded to perpetuate feudal and landowning interests, branding parties like PPP and PML-N as dynastic entities representing corrupt capitalists. He said the so-called mainstream dynastic parties came to power with the backing of the establishment.
Regarding the Dubai leaks scandal, Rehman accused the elite of amassing wealth abroad while governing Pakistan, calling for transparency regarding their foreign assets and demanding accountability from politicians, bureaucrats, and military officials. He condemned the detention of farmers from various districts as a shameful attempt by the authorities to suppress dissenting voices.
Rehman affirmed JI’s solidarity with the people and its commitment to peaceful resistance, announcing that the JI Majlise Shura would convene on May 25 to devise a strategy for mass mobilization. He reiterated the call for a thorough investigation into the billion-dollar wheat import scandal during the caretaker government’s tenure, criticizing successive governments, including the current one, for aligning their policies with IMF directives.
Meanwhile, a large number of farmers under the banner of JI and JI Kissan hold the march from Masjid-e-Shuhda to CM House Seven Club in favour of their demands. JI leaders including Liaqat Baloch, Amirul Azim and other participated in the march.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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