HYDERABAD: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq has held three mainstream political parties and certain corrupt generals responsible for the crises being faced by Pakistan.

Army generals — Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Ziaul Haq and Musharraf — ruled over the country for 35 years. They along with the establishment, corrupt bureaucracy and loyalists of British colonial powers destroyed this great state, he remarked.

The JI chief was speaking at his party’s ‘Baldiyati convention’ held at Bagh-i-Mustafa located in Unit-8 of Latifabad, on Sunday evening. He urged people to vote for JI’s candidates in the upcoming LG elections. He said that JI was committed to introduce Islamic system in the country and rid it of usury-based banking.

He said that parliament should be cleansed of corrupt imperialists and cronies of British colonial powers. The JI wants to see children of the poor to become lawmakers and prime minister, president, army chief etc.

Pledges introduction of justice-based system if his party is voted to power

Mr Haq observed that people were waiting for a justice-based system in the country for the last 75 years. They wanted to get the country freed from influence of the US and UK.

He maintained that JI believed that Pakistan should become world power and lead the world.

He said millions of people had sacrificed their lives and left their ancestral home for this great homeland but a justice-based system was still eluding them.

Still, he said, slaves of East India Company and traitors of the nation were present in the parliament. He said that these people had destroyed Wapda and PTCL. He accused rulers of handing over Dr Afia Siddiqui, Ramzi Yusuf and Raymond Devis to USA. He said that they had also handed over occupied Kashmir to India.

The JI emir said that Pakistan was facing default and every single individual in the country was facing a debt of $270,000. He noted that Pakistanis were under Himalayan debt and every bank had closed issuance of LCs. He added that every fifth citizen was depressed and suffering from hepatitis.

He deplored that there was loadshedding although it’s the land of five rivers.

‘Civil and military rulers responsible for abyss’

He said that 25 million children were deprived of education and 70 million youths were unemployed while 5.6 differently-abled persons were facing beggary. He said there was no system for welfare of 4.6m orphan children. “Who is responsible for this abyss we are in?” he asked, and claimed that PPP, PML-N and PTI along with corrupt generals and bureaucrats who had ruled over Pakistan for 35 years in shape of Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Ziaul Haq and Musharraf retimes were responsible for this.

He said that this very establishment, corrupt bureaucracy and politicians had destroyed this great country. He alleged that they divided people along ethnic lines. Recent floods had destroyed standing crops and millions were displaced but international aid was stomached by tyrant rulers.

The JI chief said that today there was an opportunity that people should rid themselves of this corrupt coterie of people.

When Shahbaz Sharif and Asif Zardari had sought support for a no-confidence motion to oust Imran Khan, “I asked them whether they would introduce Islamic system in the country; they replied it was not on their agenda”.

PTI policies criticised

He said that PTI ruled over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for 10 years in a row and then in Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan. He said PTI ruled the federation for 4.5 years. But PTI opened ‘langar khanas’ instead of ‘karkhanas’ which reflected PTI’s vision.

He wondered that PTI tal­ked about economy powered by chicks trade, and added that PTI stood completely exposed and that it was not now able to face people.

Sirajul Haq claimed that drug, atta, petrol and land mafias had intruded into PDM, PTI and PPP and those who were liable to be handcuffed and jailed were made ministers and senators.

He regretted that those whose names featured in Panama Leaks and Pandora Papers for looting this nation and making their own fortunes in offshore companies were still ruling the country.

“JI will hold every single corrupt and plunderer accountable and recover the country’s wealth from their bellies,” he said.

The judiciary, NAB and FIA could not do this because they had taken these institutions for granted, he added.

Published in Dawn, january 2th, 2023