HYDERABAD: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Senator Sirajul Haq has said that people do not accept the tabdeeli (change) if it is all about hike in the food and fuel prices. “While the country’s economy has been destroyed, the rulers are advising the masses to spend nights at musafirkhanas and have food at charities,” he remarked while speaking at a ceremony at the residence of Sirhandi Jamaat’s spiritual leader Pir Ghulam Mujaddid Sirhandi in Matiari on Friday evening.

Pir Mujaddid announced his joining the JI at the gathering.

Senator Haq said that JI was pursuing the politics that was introduced by the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

He said JI wants parity and justice in the country in line with Islamic teachings. “Those who talk of democracy, in fact lie because they want virtual monarchy in Pakistan,” he added.

He said millions of people had sacrificed their lives for this country because they were dreaming of a just society in Pakistan and enforcement of Shariah here.

“Today justice is not seen in the country. [Former president General] Pervez Musharraf had conceded that he had caught people and sold them to foreign powers. Our rulers failed to ensure justice to Dr Afia Siddiqui but JI would get justice for her ... she has remained imprisoned abroad,” he said, and noted that right from Gen Musharraf’s to the present government, none worked for her release. Many other Pakistanis were languishing in other countries’ jails.

The JI chief alleged that the present government had sold Indian occupied Kashmir. He claimed that with the installation of this [PTI] government, corruption, obscenity and vulgarity had increased and every child of the country was facing a debt.

He pointed out that Matiari was blessed with natural gas but the district lacked better infrastructure. “There are no schools, roads and hospitals here,” he said.

He further said that children of ordinary people remained unemployed while scions of elected representatives did not study in government schools and did not get treatment in public sector hospitals. He maintained that JI was committed to making this country an Islamic state. He said that God’s message could not be confined to pulpit alone but had to be spread across the globe.

He termed the JI a democratic party, and described PPP as “Bhutto party” and PML-N as “Sharif party”. Since 1973, no one has seen Islam anywhere in the country, he added.

Senator Haq said that political pundits had occupied the country and were holding the state hostage. He said Pakistan was facing debt from World Bank.

He urged people to join JI, observing that the masses had been sandwiched between provincial and federal governments. But these two governments would have to be held accountable.

Mujaddid Sirhandi said that successive governments had failed to address problems of people. He said he was joining the JI after being disappointed by elected representatives.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2021