PESHAWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) kicked off its Corruption-Free Pakistan campaign by launching a train march from Peshawar to Karachi on Wednesday, aimed at mobilising the nation to take a unified stand against corrupt leaders.

Speaking at a gathering of party workers at Cantonment Railways Station, Peshawar, JI emir Senator Sirajul Haq said that the country, since its inception, had been in the grip of corrupt mafias who had been looting national wealth, but no one was there to hold them accountable.

He said that it was the JI which had launched a campaign against corruption to get rid of the ‘mafias’ and send honest, dedicated people to the assemblies to serve the nation.

Other party leaders, including Secretary General Liaquat Baloch, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emir Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, provincial Secretary General Abdul Wasi and Fata emir Haroonur Rashid, also spoke on the occasion. The train is scheduled to reach Karachi on May 27.

Senator Haq said that the country was facing a plethora of problems whose root cause was corruption. “We want all the corrupt people to be sent behind bars and our struggle for the purpose will continue,” he vowed. He warned that if legal action against the corrupt leaders was not taken, the nation would hold them accountable, saying that people belonging to low-income groups, including farmers and labourers, would join hands to march on Islamabad and drive the rulers out of their lodges.

The JI, he claimed, would not accept the exploitative system wherein corrupt elements loot whatever is earned through the hard work of the working class. He said that those whose names had appeared in Panama leaks should take pity on the nation and surrender public offices. “The majority of the poor are crying for drinking water while the corrupt mafias have looted national wealth and are also enjoying perks and privileges of the government,” he lamented.

The JI emir also expressed his anger over the drone strike in Balochistan, describing it as a “direct attack on our sovereignty”. He said America was playing a joke with Pakistan by “hitting missiles, conducting operations on our soil and then informing our rulers”.

“If the government failed to raise a voice against such attacks, the US would certainly target people in major cities such as Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar,” he warned.

The JI emir said it was extremely unfortunate that the government had maintained silence over the hanging of Matiur Rehman Nizami in Bangladesh and the US attack in Balochistan, adding that the rulers would have to protect the country’s ideology if they wanted to remain in power. “We have rejected the idea of a liberal Pakistan. We want enforcement of the Islamic system based on justice, brotherhood and peace,” the JI leader said.

The JI, he said, would provide employment to people, protect the rights of the poor and take exemplary action against corrupt people to bring natural resources in use and boost the country’s economy.

Our reporter in Rawalpindi adds: The train arrived at Rawalpindi Railways Station at around 12:30pm, where it was accorded a warm welcome by scores of JI activists and supporters gathered there. In his address, the JI emir said that America had rubbed salt on Pakistan’s wounds by informing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif about the drone attack after hitting the vehicle in Balochistan.

“The rulers have badly failed to protect the country’s sovereignty, national security and borders. The Pakistani nation had earlier defended their homeland against enemies by tying bombs to their chests and will do so again if needed,” he added.

The charged activists shouted slogans against the ‘corrupt rulers’ and US President Barrack Obama.

Our staff reporter in Lahore adds: The train subsequently reached Lahore in the evening, with the JI emir addressing party activists gathered at several railway stations along the route. His speeches were mostly focused on the party’s stance against corruption and demanding of the government to take up the matter of respecting Pakistan’s sovereignty with the United States.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2016