LAHORE: The fresh amnesty scheme being announced by the government to launder black money is another NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance], which the nation will not accept, says Jamaat-i-Islami Emir Senator Sirajul Haq.

Addressing the central parliamentary council of the JI at Mansoora on Thursday, he said instead of facilitating the corruption mafia, the government should improve the tax recovery system.

He also welcomed the suo motu notice taken by the chief justice with regard to the wealth of the Pakistani elite lying abroad and expressed the hope that the move would help bring the plundered national wealth to the country.

He said the deadline of a fortnight given by the chief justice to the national institutions for furnishing the details of the wealth was appreciable.

The money recovered thus should be diverted to public welfare projects which had been totally neglected by the corrupt ruling elite. Sirajul Haq said the politicians working on the dictates of the US and international establishment besides those who were afraid of India, were creating problems for the country.

He said a vast majority of the people wanted the Islamic system but the public opinion was never given any weight.

He said the religious forces on the MMA platform would obstruct the path of the ‘liberal and secular forces’ in the next elections.

He said the central point of the JI’s policy was to unite the religious forces against the ‘liberals’ and it was hoped that the MMA would emerge as an alternative leadership.

JI Secretary General Liaqat Baloch in his address urged the political leadership to stop criticism of the judiciary. He stressed upon the political parties to respect democratic norms.

He said the masses were fully at the back of the judiciary and they also expected the superior judiciary to end corruption in the lower judiciary and bring about reforms to ensure prompt justice.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2018