LAHORE: The next elections are being made uncertain by talking about a “national government” or the one led by technocrats, which the Jamaat-i-Islami is opposed to, JI emir Sirajul Haq said this while demanding on time elections.

He was talking to the media at his party headquarters Mansoora after the opening session of the JI Shoora (central executive) here on Monday, which is expected to give him a go-ahead for the revival of the Muttahida Majlise Amal (MMA) in the coming days.

Terming the rulers’ attitude undemocratic, Haq said the cure of a weak democracy was also democracy.

Reiterating allegations of corruption against the PML-N government, he said in these circumstances it was all the more important to establish supremacy of the Constitution, hold elections on schedule and conduct strict accountability of the corrupt.

He said the JI Shoora had decided to continue the party’s drive against corruption till the accountability of “each and every plunderer.” However, he added, this would not be made an excuse for delaying the elections. Therefore, he said, accountability and the electoral process must go hand in hand.

He demanded that the Election Commission should disqualify all the politicians against whom there were corruption cases.

Haq announced a “long march” from Jamarud to Islamabad in support of FATA’s merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwah and abolition of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), without giving a date or schedule for it.

He welcomed the extension of the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the High Court to the FATA. However, he said that until and unless the articles 246 and 247 of the Constitution were not abolished and the powers of the president and the prime minister regarding the tribal areas were repealed, the legal rights to tribal people could not be guaranteed.

Haq termed US President Trumps announcement recognising Qibla-e-Awwal (Jerusalem) as Israel’s capital a conspiracy to thrust a war on the world. He said the liberation of the holy city was the most sensitive issue for the Ummah.

He urged all the Muslim states to support Turkey on the issue and go for trade and social boycott of the US till it withdrew the decision.

To a question regarding the Model Town killings, Haq said no body, whether a minister or chief minister was above the law. He said those responsible for the killing of the 14 people in the police operation should be punished in accordance with the law.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2017