Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) emir Senator Siajul Haq has said that consensus on constitutional amendment for revival of military courts has been delayed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Leader of Opposition Sayed Khursheed Ahmed Shah.
He was addressing a press conference after a meeting with a delegation of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) leaders including Nayyer Husain Bukhari, Farhatullah Babar, Abdul Qayyum Soomro and Sardar Ali Khan who called on him to extend him an invitation to the PPPP-sponsored all parties conference (APC) on the issue.
Haq said the decision of attending the APC would be announced after consultation with the party leadership. The JI chief said it is the responsibility of the ruling party, especially the prime minister, to evolve a consensus on the issue of revival of military courts because the APC for the NAP had also been convened by the Prime Minister and all the political parties had jointly finalised the NAP.
He said that more than two years have passed but the situation remains almost the same and the nation has seen the tragedies of Lahore, Sehwan Sharif and Charsadda. He said the government has expressed its total helplessness and felt the need for the military courts for another two years.
The JI chief said that important issues could not be resolved merely on the basis of numerical strength and it is imperative to evolve a national consensus on the issue. Sirajul Haq said that in a democratic system, the Speaker of the National Assembly has to play the role of an arbitrator and whenever there are serious differences between the government and the opposition, the speaker has to act as an arbitrator. He said that in the present issue, the prime minister or the interior minister should have come forward as this is not the job of the speaker. If the bill is moved and a deadlock creates, the speaker could play an effective role.
The JI chief condemned the action against the Pashtuns in Punjab, saying even Pashtun women are being harassed. He said that such actions had given birth to Bangladesh in the past. He said the situation calls for a complete national unity and mutual understanding. He said that the PPPP also supported the JI on the issue and Khurshid Shah had issued strong statement in this respect.
Meanwhile, Sirajul Haq has convened a Jirga of Pashtun leaders from all over Punjab at Mansoora on March 3, 2017. In a statement here, he said Pashtuns are being targeted in Punjab, saying it is not in the national interests. He said that lawlessness is not the issue of any person, but it is a national issue. He said that law should not be misused and the federal and the provincial governments should explain their strategies on the issue in a transparent way.