LAHORE: The nation has been deceived in the name of progress and prosperity and the PTI’s case is no different from its predecessors, says Jamaat-i-Islami Emir Senator Sirajul Haq.

Speaking to the participants in the JI central workshop at Mansoora on Friday, he deplored that the government had increased the country’s problems tremendously and the masses were facing extremely hard times. Price hike and unemployment had become serious issues, he said.

He said a number of people who in the past regimes had joined hands were now causing grave disappointment to the masses. The nation had voted the PTI due to its slogan of change just as they did for the PPP’s slogan of “Roti, kapra aur makan” or the Muslim League’s “Qarz utaro, mulk sanwaro.” However, he said, the PTI had caused greater disappointment to the people than the previous rulers did.

Mr Haq, who had recently returned from a four-week visit to Saudi Arabia, said the Overseas Pakistanis and their family members had voted for the PTI in large numbers and had also financed its election campaign. However, he said, these people had been the worst hit by the PTI policies due to rise in the dollar price and devaluation of the rupee.

The problems of the country could be solved with good intentions of the rulers. However, the people in power were not competent to solve the issues, he said.

The JI chief said the enforcement of the Islamic system was the only way to solve the problems facing the nation. As long as the rulers remained defiant to the system given by Allah Almighty, they would have to bow at every door and face humiliation and failure. He said the masses had tried all other parties till now and the Jamaat-i-Islami remained their last hope now.

The JI chief noted that his was the only democratic and progressive party in the country. He said several national and international institutions had acknowledged the honesty and integrity of the JI leadership. He said the World Bank, the Transparency International and even the Supreme Court had accepted the honesty of the JI leaders, its welfare activities and its truly democratic character.

Mr Haq said the JI wanted the state to play the role of a mother who is always kind and loving to her children.

Meanwhile, JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch welcomed the Islamabad High Court decision in the case of two Hindu girls from Ghotki embracing Islam and expressed hope that the Hindu community in the country would accept the verdict on the basis of basic human rights and allow the girls to lead their lives according to their free will.

He was speaking to religious leader from Sindh Pir Abdul Khaliq, popularly known as Pir of Bharchwindi Sharif, at Mansoora. Mr Baloch said Islam is the religion of nature and did not believe in coercion. He said the minorities in this country including the Hindus enjoyed religious freedom and the Muslims respected the minorities as well as their places of worship.

He said it was a matter of great satisfaction that the judiciary was taking decisions without yielding to any pressure.

The JI secretary general further said the Kashmiris’ boycott of the so-called Indian election had exposed the Indian democracy. He said the Kashmiris had once again proved that they would never give up their demand for liberation.

He urged the Pakistan government to devise a comprehensive strategy for solving the Kashmir issue and the Kashmiris should be allowed to present their case at the world level. He said Pakistan’s embassies abroad and the overseas Pakistanis should play their role in this respect.

At the same time, he said, Prime Minister Imran Khan should give top priority to the Kashmir issue in his tours abroad.

Commenting on the military coup in Sudan, he said rampant corruption, injustice, bad governance and inequitable distribution of the national resources would inevitably lead to such changes.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2019