LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Sirajul Haq has condemned the mainstream political leadership’s silence regarding Israeli atrocities in Gaza, attributing it to a fear of the United States.
Addressing a Gaza March organised by his party in front of Punjab University campus on Sunday, he criticised politicians for prioritising self-interest and focusing on political victories in Balochistan or Sindh while neglecting the dire situation in Palestine, including the killing of innocent children and women in the occupied area.
He expressed dismay that these leaders never truly represented the nation’s sentiments on crucial issues, always aiming to please Washington and secure power with its backing.
Thousands, including women and children, participated in the march to show solidarity with the people of Palestine. Palestinian representative Dr Nawaf al-Takrouri also attended the event, expressing gratitude to the public and JI for raising their voices for Palestine. JI vice-emir Liaqat Baloch and secretary general Amirul Azeem also addressed the audience.
Haq urged the public to vote for JI in the upcoming elections, emphasising the need to eliminate the influence of ‘US agents’. He stated that over four billion people would cast their votes in 76 countries with scheduled elections next year. “One could never expect rigging in any country,” he said, lamenting the historical prevalence of rigging in Pakistan. He called for free and transparent general elections in February.
The JI chief pointed out that Pakistan’s ambassador did not meet with the Palestinian leadership in Doha due to fear of the US, contrasting it with diplomats from other countries who expressed solidarity with the Palestine. He questioned the absence of the caretaker prime minister or any government representative in the Gaza march, stating that people knew the ‘reasons’.
While acknowledging global pro-Palestine rallies and public pressure in Western countries to revise policies supporting Israel, Haq criticized Muslim world rulers for failing to take practical steps to support Gaza. He highlighted the OIC summit’s ineffective declaration, emphasising that history would remember the cowardice of Islamic world rulers in the face of the ongoing crisis.
He traced the origins of the Israeli state back to imperialistic conspiracies in 1948, emphasising that even its name did not exist before its establishment.
He noted the Palestinian people’s consistent refusal to recognise Israel and their resistance to its expansionism since its inception. He reassured that the Pakistani public fully supported the Palestinian struggle, pledging JI’s continued support for the Palestine cause despite any hurdles or difficulties.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023