KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Senator Sirajul Haq said on Sunday that a conspiracy was being hatched to cover up the tragic Mowach Goth incident but his party would not let that happen.

Speaking at a media briefing here at the Sherpao Colony in Landhi, the JI chief said that his party’s lawmakers would raise their voice in the National Assembly and Senate in order to ensure justice for the 13 people who lost their lives in the grenade attack carried out on the Independence Day.

Senator Haq visited the area, in Baldia, to express his condolences with local JI leader Mairaj Swati and district office-bearer of the Awami National Party Farman Khan over the death of their family members, including women and children, in the tragic incident. City JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman and other leaders were also present.

The JI chief said that it was a major incident but unfortunately the government totally ignored it. He said that it was the reason that area people, political activists and affected families were protesting as they wanted action.

He said there were more than two-dozen agencies working in the metropolis under the control of the federal government, but no one knew what they were doing when this tragedy took place. “The government is practically asleep.”

Opposition parties at ANP moot blame poor security measures for the Independence Day incident

Senator Haq said that JI MPA Syed Abdul Rashid had submitted an adjournment motion in this regard in the Sindh Assembly.

He said that his party would not rest until the perpetrators of the attack were brought to justice.

Speaking on the occasion, Hafiz Naeem said that it was the responsibility of the government and state institution to curb such incidents.

ANP’s multiparty conference

The local chapter of the ANP organised a multiparty conference (MPC) in connection with the Mowach Goth tragedy. Local leaders of the JI, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Pakistan Peoples Party, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan and others participated.

Participants in the meeting said that the tragic incident took place because of poor and insufficient security measures on the Independence Day and there was no doubt about it.

They demanded that the government arrest perpetrators of the attack forthwith and provide justice to the heirs of those who lost their lives.

The participants condemned non-seriousness on part of the federal and provincial governments and warned that they would be compelled to launch a phase-wise protest campaign if meaningful action was not taken.

Separately, the JI chief spoke at a ceremony marking the 80th year of his party’s foundation on Saturday evening, our Mirpurkhas correspondent adds.

Sirajul Haq recalled that when the JI had suffered defeat in general elections, the United States had remarked that “people haverejected terrorists in Pakistan”, but now the superpower itself had been driven out of Afghanistan by the very Taliban, whom it had declared terrorists. The Taliban had announced in clear terms that they would enforce Islamic system in Afghanistan and no western power would dare to oppose them.

He said that his party had also been striving for the enforcement of Islamic system in the country for a long time but unfortunately masses had been casting votes for the candidates who preferred British colonial system over Sharia. “However, we hope Islamic revolution will come about in the country very soon with the help of masses,” he said.

He said that his party was based on a just system in which every worker could carry out accountability of their leaders. So far, there was no corrupt office-bearer in the JI, he claimed.

He said that generals had ruled the country for 37 years while the remaining years were shared between Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz with the help of various mafias and powerful groups. This nexus with mafias had devastated the country’s economy, government institutions, education and health sectors, etc, he said.

He said that 85 per cent population of the country had to consume contaminated water, over 300 million children remained deprived of education and 80,000 people died of cancer each year, still people did not cast vote for JI to change their conditions.

He complained that journalists too supported corrupt rulers and highlighted their speeches and statements instead of promoting JI’s achievements.

Today, he said, all chronic problems, including unemployment, loadshedding and price hike had further aggravated and present government had failed to fulfill the pledges it had made with masses before general election.

He said that if people gave an opportunity to JI to rule the country the party would enforce Islamic system and hand holy book to chief justice instead of British law books and dismantle the interest-based system.

Mr Haq claimed that the country had enough power to liberate Indian occupied Kashmir and hoped that Kashmir would be free soon. Rulers had handed over Dr Afia Siddiqui to the US and returned American agent Raymond Davis and Indian pilot because of their cowardice, he said, adding rulers were imposing new laws only to enslave masses.

The gathering passed a resolution, demanding establishment of Sindh High Court’s bench and a university in Mirpurkhas, healthcare institutions like NICVD and educational institutions, provision of purified drinking water and restoration of train service between Mirpurkhas and Karachi via Hyderabad.

JI Sindh emir Muhammad Hussain Mehnti, Asadullah Bhutto and other local party leaders also spoke at the gathering.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2021