TIMERGARA: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Senator Sirajul Haq on Saturday urged the world and non-aligned powers to take serious steps for defusing tensions between Iran and the US after killing of a top Iranian Commander Qasem Suleimani in a US drone strike in Baghdad the other day.

He was speaking at a news conference at Ahyaul Uloom, Balambat, during his visit to the district. Former MNA Sahibzada Yaqub Khan, JI local leaders Malik Sher Bahadar, Maulana Javed Iqbal and others were also present.

The JI chief said that millions of people had been killed in wars in the past and millions more would be killed if Iran and America went to war. He said that the US had always imposed wars on the Muslim countries as it did not want peace in the Muslim world.

Mr Haq said that the Muslim leaders should shun their differences and make collective efforts to prevent conflicts.

Criticising the PTI government, he said that it created so many crises at the same time that it was difficult for it to cope with them.

He added that the nation was being gifted with budget after budget each day.

The JI chief said that electricity tariff was increased eleven times during the last one year. He said that price hike had broken the back of poor masses. He said that the President’s House had been turned into an ordinance factory while the parliament was rendered dysfunctional.

Mr Haq said that both PPP and PML-N were competing on the issue of extension of the army chief. He said that one opposition party did not take the other into confidence over the issue.

INTEREST ON LOANS: One Mohammad Dan, a resident of Pashat Bajaur, has demanded of the provincial government and police department to help him rid of the interest-based deal.

Accompanied by his children and relatives, he told mediapersons outside the Timergara Press Club that interest-based loan deal had deprived him of his house and property.

He claimed that he had to pay Rs23.3 million instead of Rs4.3 million in interest on purchase of two vehicles. He said that he had bought two vehicles from a bargain centre at Timergara on Nov 23, 2015 on loan.

However, he said the amount grew to Rs23.3 million over the years and in the meanwhile he sold his house and other properties to get rid of the menace, but to no avail. He said that so far he had paid Rs 21.8 million to owner of the bargain centre.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2020