LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday called on Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq to get support for the party candidate Chaudhry Sarwar in Senate polls from Punjab.

He led a delegation of the PTI to meet the JI leadership here.

Talking to the media after the meeting, Mr Haq said good political leadership could not emerge without eliminating the factor of wealth from the electoral process.

He urged the Election Commission of Pakistan and other relevant institutions to play an effective role to prevent the use of wealth in elections.

He said the JI wanted a dialogue among the political parties to save politics and democratic system from destruction.

Mr Qureshi said the PTI and the JI had almost identical views on major issues. He said he had requested JI for its support in the Senate election and was happy that the JI chief had given a positive response.

Replying to a question, he said the judiciary was truly independent and playing its constitutional role; however, whoever lost his case in the court started criticising it which was not proper.

To a question regarding the arrest of a Punjab bureaucrat, Sirajul Haq said such developments were not unexpected in a political setup where entire politics revolved around an individual. He said it was improper for the Punjab government to call a cabinet meeting on the issue.

Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Mehmoodur Rasheed and Aleem Khan accompanied Mr Qureshi while JI secretary general Liaqat Baloch and deputy chief Dr Farid Ahmed Piracha were also present.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2018