PESHAWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq has dispelled the impression that political crisis in the country is over, saying that government should not misperceive the current situation.

“The political crisis is still looming large over the country and the government should immediately fix a date to hold talks with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf,” he said while addressing the graduation ceremony of a seminary here on Sunday.

The JI chief said that if rulers were not involved in poll rigging then there was no justification for delay in the formation of judicial commission to probe the allegations. The government, he said, thought that political crises ended with the departure of Pakistan Awami Tehreek chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri from the country. The government should not misjudge the situation as the crisis was far from over, he added.

Mr Haq said that the government should start talks with the PTI forthwith. The crisis could deepen further if the government failed to hold immediate talks with the PTI, he said, adding that political jirga would play its positive role to resolve the crises through reconciliation.

Says govt should not misperceive current situation

The JI chief is heading a political jirga that had held talks with the government and PTI to ease the tension.

Mr Haq said that some people had advised him to let the government and PTI fight it out on their own, but he turned a deaf ear to such ill advice as it could undermine democracy and state institutions in the country. He said that politicians would have to go home if they failed to learn a lesson from the past.

The JI chief said that a federal minister had linked talks with PTI to calling off rallies and strikes which was wrong. The government should not link talks with rallies and public meetings, he said, adding that political parties had the right to organise public gatherings. The JI chief urged the newly appointed Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza to take drastic steps to restore voters’ trust and sanctity of the ballot.

Mr Haq, whose party is coalition partner of PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, said that JI would overhaul the existing system of governance if the party was voted to power. He said that civil services examinations would be conducted in Urdu to enable students of public sector schools to enter civil service and become commissioners and deputy commissioners.

The JI chief said that Pakistan would have an independent and neutral foreign policy if JI came into power. The country would get rid of the dictation of International Monetary Fund, World Bank and other foreign lending agencies, he added. He promised that his party would give subsidy on edible items.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2014