LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamaat-i-Islami have chided the prime minister for disappointing the nation by saying that people will get peace only in grave, implying that the government cannot solve their problems.

PPP deputy information secretary Munawar Anjum in a statement on Sunday recalled that before coming into power Imran Khan had given “lollypops” to the voters that he had a team of 200 experts and would turn around the economy, enabling the country to extend loans instead of seeking financial help, creating 10 million jobs, constructing five million houses and recovering looted national wealth while not offering any deal to looters.

But, he regretted, now Prime Minister Imran Khan was announcing without any remorse that the people would get peace only after death in their graves.

The PPP leader wondered why Khan-led government was failing to deliver in spite of enjoying the support of “the umpire and hand-picked fielders”.

Similarly, Jamaat-e-Islami emir Sirajul Haq has said the PTI government which made tall claims of introducing reforms in governance and ending corruption and nepotism not only failed to bring any change, but also proved itself even worse than the previous regimes.

The prime minister’s statement that a person could only get relief in grave actually reflected his helplessness, said Senator Haq.

The present regime, he said, completely destroyed the country’s economy and snatched livelihood from the poor and the middle class. It burdened the masses with record debt and virtually handed over the government to the IMF, he added.

Talking to reporters after addressing a training workshop for the party’s youth at Mansoora here on Sunday, he said it was a proven fact that epicenter of real power and authority to issue “NRO” in the country was ‘Rawalpindi’.

“The prime minister’s claim about not striking an NRO-like deal with any political party doesn’t matter at all,” he added.

The JI emir said the support of main opposition parties to the government bill on the army chief’s extension proved that they were all looking towards the same direction when it came to watching their own interest.

Haq, who recently made a five-day visit to different areas of Balochistan, regretted the plight of the masses in the largest province. He said a majority of Balochistan residents was living without gas, electricity and basic health facilities.

He said the condition of common man in Sindh, where a political party had been ruling for decades, was even more miserable.

The JI chief said the rulers were not only making “flawed” domestic policies, but also abandoned the Kashmir cause.

Referring to a recent statement of Indian army chief, he apprehended that New Delhi would not only talk about Muzaffarabad but would also make claim on Islamabad in future if the government continued with its ‘weak stance’ on Kashmir.

He said the people were left with no option but to choose honest and dedicated leadership to resolve their problems and turn the homeland into an Islamic welfare state. He claimed that if voted to power the JI could bring a “real change” in the country.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2020