KARACHI, March 21: Deputy chief of Jamaat-i-Islami, Prof Ghafoor Ahmad, has said the government is deliberately promoting poverty, unemployment, price hike and creating lawlessness to break the resistance of people against the rulers.
Presiding over an all parties conference on "Price-hike, unemployment and lawlessness" held on Saturday at Idara Noor-i-Haq, Prof Ghafoor said solidarity of the country was at stake and a 1970 like situation was prevailing.
In this scenario it was the responsibility of all national-level political parties to make joint efforts to steer the country out of the present crisis, he added.
Prof Ghafoor reiterated his stand that only national-level parties could save the country and solve peoples' problems. Accusing the government of causing divisions in the national parties by either forcing their members to shift their loyalty or bribing them to do so, he said during the last one year parliament had done no legislation work except adopting the 17th amendment.
"All sensitive decisions of national importance are being taken without parliament's approval and in the cover of sport activities national values are being trampled," he claimed.
"We are not against friendship and sporting ties with India but we will not accept friendship with India at the cost of Kashmir," he added. Prof Ghafoor said that unemployment, poverty, price spiral and lawlessness were on the rise and unrest and dismay among people was increasing day by day.
The JI leader said the country was facing greater threat at the hands of rulers rather than from foreign powers. US Secretary of State Colin Powell in his recent visit had promised to supply spare-parts of gunship helicopters but now the people were aware of the fact that these helicopters would not be used against the enemy but on our own people, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, PPP leader Prof N.D. Khan said the military rulers had made the people hostage and an undemocratic and un-accountable government had been installed in the country which was the main cause of lawlessness, price hike and unemployment.
"There is a need to unite all democratic forces on one point to build resistance against the undemocratic regime. Elected representatives are killed and even their FIRs are not registered. Due to non-resistance by democratic forces the army rulers have an open field."
PML-N chief organizer Mian Ejaz Shafi said that owing to wrong policies of the rulers the entire nation was in the grip of a serious crisis. He said rulers had opened fire on their own people just to appease the US and now a situation had arrived where people's help was being sought for the protection of Rangers.
"The situation calls for the unity of political parties," he said, adding that the assemblies had been turned into a rubber stamp as the National Assembly has failed to adopt a single law till today," he added.
JI MNA Mohammad Hussain Mehanti lamented that Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali did not see poverty and price-hike prevailing in the country. A government which could not deliver to its people should resign, he claimed.
JUP leader Hafiz Mohammad Taqi said the government was not capable of solving the problems of the people and only the MMA could provide a relieve to the people from lawlessness, poverty, unemployment and soaring prices.
Haji Muzaffar Ali Shujra said Karachi contributed 70 per cent revenue to the exchequer, but no attention was being given to its problems. In cities and in interior of the province, bandits had set up their rule under the patronage of the provincial government to create a situation where people were forced to come on to the streets.
Judiciary, police and all other concerned institutions had failed to provide relief to the people, he said and added that MPA Abdullah Murad was killed in broad daylight but the FIR of his family had not been registered even after two weeks.
MPA Nasrullah Shaji accused the government of being involved in creating lawlessness. PPP leader Habibuddin Junedi said 4,500 factories were lying closed in the country and 3.5 million educated people were without jobs. The buying power had come down by 16 per cent.
PML leader Mehfoozyar Khan said the feelings of the people would be conveyed to the authorities. However, he said all had to strive jointly to solve problems of the people. Maulana Asad Thanvi said the situation was getting bad to worse day by day and essential items had gone beyond the reach of a common man.
