KHAR: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq on Saturday said his party had started a campaign to rid Pakistan of corruption as it was the most serious problem the country was facing after terrorism.

He was addressing a public meeting at Bajaur Sports Complex here that was attended by thousands of party workers and tribesmen.

He claimed that JI was the only political party whose leaders had no corruption charges against them. He said Panama leaks had exposed the corrupt political elite of Pakistan, particularly the family of the prime minister.

Mr Haq said JI would continue its efforts to bring all those named in the Panama leaks to justice. He said JI would play its active role in forcing the government to accept the opposition-drafted ToRs on the judicial commission to probe the Panama leaks.

The JI leader said the Jamaat was endeavouring to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state, which he claimed, was the best and easiest way to resolve the problems facing the common man.

He believed that the rulers and establishment had always created hurdles to the implementation of Islamic laws in the country.

Mr Haq noted that replacing colonial Frontier Crimes Regulation with country’s regular laws in the tribal areas was need of the hour as the FCR blocked efforts to remove backwardness and eliminate corruption in the region.

He said Fata should be merged with KP for socio-economic development of the region.

The JI chief accused the government of discriminating against the people of tribal areas by not taking interest in rehabilitation of the destroyed infrastructure. He demanded that the government approve a hefty amount for rehabilitation of destroyed infrastructures in Fata.

He asked for the people to join the JI’s anti-corruption campaign and its struggle to enforce Sharia laws in the country.

JI provincial emir Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, provincial Finance Minister Muzafar Said, JI Fata emir Sahibzada Haroon Rasheed, and local chapter chief Qari Abdul Majeed also addressed the meeting.

They asked the government to extend local government system to Fata for its development. They also asked for establishing a medical college and an engineering university in Bajaur Agency.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2016