ISLAMABAD: Emir of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Sirajul Haq, while opposing separate elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, has stressed the need for simultaneous elections across the country in a free, fair and transparent manner.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, he said that before going into the general elections all the stakeholders including political parties must agree upon a viable plan for holding the elections as at present, all the institutions somehow have become controversial.
He added that elections in such an environment will become controversial and no party will accept the outcome of the polls; therefore, an agreement before going into the polls is required.
Commenting on the ongoing economic situation, Haq said that for the common man keeping both ends meet has become an uphill task, adding that the previous and present governments instead of providing economic relief to the common people turned their lives miserable. He said that a poor person, at present, is unable to purchase basic necessities, what to talk about paying utility bills. Owing to successive hike in gas, electricity, and petroleum products’ charges it has become difficult for the poor to manage two square meals for their families.
Haq said that in the past, “death was easy”, now after the imposition of a heavy tax on shrouds and other items, death has also become a serious problem for the heir of a poor deceased. He said that under such circumstances, the JI is the only choice for the people of Pakistan and his party will put the country on the right track.
Further flaying the PPP, Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI) and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), he said that during Imran Khan’s government, these parties were staging sit-ins over inflation but now they have kept a complete mum over record high inflation. The PDM made the country a slave of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and at present not a single person is happy and satisfied in any part of the country, he maintained.
Essential kitchen items like wheat flour, pulses, cooking oil and sugar have become very expensive in an agricultural country, while the government has imposed further taxes of Rs170 billion on the poor people.
He said that at present, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is using the IMF’s knife against the poor people of Pakistan. He said that today, PM Shehbaz Sharif was using the same worn-out words of Imran Khan as the former PM also used to say: be patient, you will find peace in the grave.
He said that Federal Sharia Court twice has decided against interest-based banking but the government instead of implementing the orders of the Sharia Court is regularly increasing the interest rate. He said that his party rejects the government’s decision of increasing the rate of interest and will fight against it on all the available forums.
The corrupt elites are not ready to give up their privileges. The cabinet is not ready to end free vehicles and concessions. The government “held the neck” of 23 Crore people for the tax of Rs170 billion. He said that owing to interest-based banking, Pakistan’s debt has reached Rs63,000 billion, adding that if the masses provided a chance to the JI, the party after coming into power eliminate the interest system from the country.
He said that the ruling class including the prime minister, his cabinet members, generals, judges, and bureaucrats have parked their assets outside the country but are regularly asking the masses for more sacrifices. He stressed the need for across-the-board accountability and said that political leaders, military generals, judges, and corrupt elites must be dealt with equally as a majority of them have billions of rupees in foreign banks.
Now is the time for judges, generals, and politicians to sacrifice for the country. Judges should have taken suo moto action against the people who have built their own private jails. Even today, many people are chained in the rural area of Sindh, and the culture of kidnapping for ransom is common.
He said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is visiting abroad, should tell that people are kidnapped in his province. Landlords have built private jails in Balochistan, I appeal to the provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan to look into the law and order situation, he added.
There was massive rigging in the Karachi Municipal elections. The Election Commission of Pakistan has not yet been able to correct the polling of the six constituencies of the Karachi. I warn that the provincial government of Sindh should not use its influence on the Election Commission. Extortion has once again increased in Karachi, he said, adding once again target killing has been started in Karachi. Elections in only two provinces will not improve the situation. General elections should be held simultaneously throughout the country.
He said the Supreme Court should ensure the transparent conduct of general elections simultaneously across the country. All the institutions have become controversial at this time, and the only solution to the problems is the general election.
The Election Commission, judiciary, and establishment should be neutral for transparent elections. On March 9, JI has invited its provincial and national assembly candidates from all over the country for a meeting, he concluded.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023