PESHAWAR: Making an unrealistic announcement, Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq on Wednesday said PhD degree holders would teach in primary schools if his party came to power in the country after winning the next general elections.

He unveiled the party’s next manifesto titled ‘Prosperous Pakistan and Islamic Pakistan’ here at the Talent Award Festival which was attended by large number of students and workers of Islami Jamiat Talba, student wing of JI.

Provincial chief of the party Mushtaq Ahmad Khan and IJT leaders also addressed the event.

JI unveils party’s next election manifesto titled ‘Prosperous Pakistan and Islamic Pakistan’

Announcing salient features of the manifesto, Sirajul Haq said PhD teachers would be appointed to all primary schools across the country if the people elected his party to power through the next general elections.

He said high illiteracy rate was a major issue in Pakistan.

The JI chief said existing standard of education was poor and this was big dilemma that children of ministers of education in the four provinces did not send their children to the government run schools.

He said public sector schools had no basic facilities like drinking water and toilets because children of rich families did not get education in these schools and standard of education was deteriorating day by day.

Sirajul Haq said religious education had been divided on the basis of sects and every sect had its own board that was major cause of sectarianism.

He demanded of the federal and provincial governments to allocate major share in the next annual budgets for education after defence and security.

According to the manifesto, children of the poorer will get free education and all citizens would be provided free treatment. The government would treat patients suffering from at least five diseases including cancer, cardiac, kidney, hepatitis and thalassemia free of cost.

He said security forces had launched the Zarb-i-Azb military operation against terrorism while the JI was fighting against ignorance in the country.

He said JI believe in economic justice too and in this connection peasants and labours would also receive share from production.

“Our party does not believe in a system in which a worker to live from hand to mouth while owner earns in millions,” he said and promised that women would be given their due rights.

Under the Prosperous Pakistan programme, Sirajul Haq said educated youngsters would get unemployment allowance until they got job while people of 70 years and above would receive old age allowance in order they could live with dignity.

He said Pakistanis were very talented, but corrupt people looted Rs 4 trillion every year as a result the country could not make progress socially and economically.

The JI chief said not a single case of financial corruption had been unearthed against any minister or parliamentarian of JI during the last 68 years.

He said his party had a plan and ability to eliminate corruption from society.

Sirajul Haq criticised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for declaring Pakistan a liberal country, saying if the prime minister’s statement was taken as true, then there was no need for the creation of Pakistan as liberal India had existed before the Partition.

He asked Nawaz Sharif to tender apology for his statement.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2015