MULTAN: Jamaat-i-Islami Emir Sirajul Haq has said the government should offer licenses to the people having illegal arms or purchase such weapons from them to help curb terrorism.

He gave the proposal during his address to the members of Lahore High Court Bar (Multan Bench) here on Tuesday. He said there was a need to legalise illegal weapons in the country to eliminate terrorism.

“Instead of seizing illegal weapons, the government should offer licenses to the owners and if someone is not willing to get license then the government should purchase his weapon,” he said.

He said the country could face another war if peace was not restored.

He said everybody was worried after the Peshawar incident and started thinking how to eliminate terrorism from the country.

He said instead of holding responsible anyone for Peshawar incident, there was a need to focus on restoring peace in the country.

“Writ of the law should be maintained in the country and no one should be given impunity if found guilty,” he suggested. The JI emir said the government should declare 2015 as ‘Peace Year’.

He said only “real democracy” could integrate and strengthen the country, besides making it prosperous.

“Unfortunately, the politics, democracy and political parties are hostage in Pakistan. As US had got more benefits during dictatorial rules in the country, it does not want durable democracy in Pakistan,” he said.

He said Pakistan could be only put on the way to progress by making it a true Islamic republic.

Mr Haq said he made efforts to end the standoff between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek as such a situation had always paved way for martial laws in the country.

He said the government could not deny establishment of judicial commission.

“The government should announce judicial commission and PTI parliamentarians should rejoin the assemblies,” he suggested.

He said political parties in the country had been converted into personal property by their leaders, proposing the Election Commission should only allow those parties to contest polls which conducted internal elections regularly.

He demanded Urdu should be made the actual national language of the country by introducing it in all spheres of life.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2014