HYDERABAD: Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq, whose establishment side often supports corrupt politicians, is now a target for the judiciary as he returns home after completing a four-year term after being found guilty. He said that the challenge is to deal with PML-N Supreme Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Self-exile.
Speaking at a gathering of JI workers here on Monday, Haq said what he would do if Sharif, who had failed as prime minister in the past three terms, was elected prime minister for a fourth time.
He said Nawaz’s brother was the prime minister of the Pakistan Democratic Movement government and other party leaders held important portfolios. As long as dynastic politics remains entrenched in Pakistan, democracy will not be able to flourish, he said.
He said the country was facing a critical situation, suffering from multiple diseases such as economic downturn, bad governance and corruption.
He argues that democracy cannot flourish as long as dynastic politics remains deeply rooted in Pakistan.
He said that although Pakistan is endowed with vast natural resources such as oil, gas and minerals, the current government policies have turned Pakistan into a begging pot.
He said Pakistan had a debt of Rs 73 trillion and every Pakistani citizen owed Rs 275,000 to international moneylenders.
He said Sindh, which has been ruled by the Pakistan Peoples Party for the past 15 years, has become a chronic case of illegality, poverty, dacoit rule and political uncertainty.
He said the longest-running PPP rule proved to be a period of destruction and deprivation. Pakistan has become the most expensive country in South Asia, surpassing even countries like Bhutan, Afghanistan and Iran in terms of economy, peace and development, he said.
The JI chief nevertheless said that Pakistan could be saved from the crisis by recovering the wealth looted from politicians. He said only the power of the vote can change the country’s institutions and leadership.
He called on party officials to start preparing for the general election, as the election dynamics are different this time. He said JI does not condone plundering resources by favoring investors and businessmen to win on JI tickets.
He said JI workers were an asset to the party and advised them to work hard. Mr. JI is working for the welfare state and whenever the party is given a chance to prove its mettle, he said.
He said the time has come for JI candidates to accelerate the pace of campaigning and go door-to-door.
He deplored the fact that the US and UK support Israel’s shelling of Palestine. Israel was committing war crimes, he said.
He said the Islamic rulers’ indifference to the Palestinian issue was pathetic, and called on party officials to raise funds for Palestine and make it a topic of discussion at public meetings.
Al Hidmat Hyderabad handed over a check of Rs 10 million to JI Sheikh for victims of Israeli aggression in Gaza.
Earlier, the JI chief expressed condolences to the family of Abdul Majeed Nizamani, a veteran cultivator leader in Bakar Nizamani village near Tando Mohammad Khan.
He said the late Nizamani was an agricultural expert and a patriotic Pakistani. Nizamani has always championed the rights of his fellow producers, he said.
Separately, in a media talk in Thatta on Monday, the JI chief reiterated that Nawaz Sharif’s return would not bring any benefit to Pakistan.
He said the country’s politics was dominated by two dynasties and the country would only get rid of them if the people used their votes wisely. He said both families were to blame for the country’s worst-ever economic crisis and rising unemployment.
He said laws with hidden Western agendas, such as transgender laws, are being imposed on Islamic countries, including Pakistan. Only Islamic law can address the growing insecurity in Islamic countries, he said.
He said that in Sindh, the political party that had ruled the province for 15 years was responsible for chronic irregularities and other ills. “Only fair and transparent elections can solve the country’s problems,” Sirajul Haq argued.
Published at Dawn on October 24, 2023
