KARACH: Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah chief Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi has said Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari and Imran Khan are the biggest hurdles in the progress of Pakistan.

He was speaking at a public meeting at Bagh-i-Jinnah here on Sunday.

Over 40,000 chairs were placed at the venue which was decorated with party flags and banners. A large screen was also placed to show proceedings on the stage which was built of containers.

Allama Rizvi and Pir Afzal Qadri were given standing ovation when they arrived at the venue.

“The time of plunderers is over and if those who looted the country are removed, all problems will be solved as there is no dearth of honest and hardworking individuals in the country,” said Allama Rizvi.

“Finally, peace has restored in Karachi after the ‘gang’ run by the man sitting in London has been busted,” he added.

“We will field candidates all over the country. Let us prepare for the coming polls so that the next government is formed by the party which believes in Islamic principles,” he further said.

The meeting also passed a number of resolutions for enforcement of Sharia law, declaring the names of those who amended the finality of Prophethood law, making the Raja Zafarul Haq report public and punishing those involved in amending the law.

One of the resolutions paid tributes to the martyrs of armed forces and security personnel in the war against terrorism.

The meeting also condemned US President Donald Trump for threatening Pakistan and announced that the US would get due response if it ever dared to attack the country.

The congregation also condemned Indian conspiracies against Pakistan and its oppressive rule in occupied Kashmir and demanded that the Kashmir issue be resolved as per UN resolutions.

The meeting also condemned the US decision of declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel and called for solving the problems of Rohingya Muslims.

It called upon the Muslim Ummah to express solidarity with each another and free themselves from the clutches of the US.

Some of their other demands were: Aafia Siddiqui be released from the US prison, Parliament and parliamentary institutions be strengthened, minorities be given due rights according to the Constitution, steps be taken to eliminate corruption from the country, judicial system be strengthened, police reforms be made to depoliticise it and necessary measures be taken to empower the local government system.

They also demanded that education, health, potable water, employment, jobs, and other basic facilities be given to the people.

The participants also said CNICs be issued to all patriotic Pakistanis, including Bengali-speaking citizens.

Allama Rizvi further said the voters should not vote for those who played cricket, sold cinema tickets or run factories but vote to the protectors of Islamic laws and principles.

“It will not only restore law and order but eliminate corruption, poverty, inflation and unemployment.

He called upon the army chief to inform Mr Trump that the armed forces and the people of Pakistan were very well aware of their responsibilities and they knew how to defend the country.

Mr Rizvi said the 70-year-long rule of the plunderers had now had come to an end and crane — the election symbol of Tehreek — would lift the standard of the country.

“Our election campaign has now started which will go on until our victory in the election,” he concluded.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2018