LAHORE: The government has been carved out by putting together people from the PPP, the PML-N and Pervez Musharraf’s cabinet and is crumbling under its own weight, claims Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) emir Sirajul Haq.

Addressing a press conference at Mansoora after the opening session of the newly-elected Shoora on Saturday, he said that the opposition did not need to push it out of power; the government is falling under its own weight of incompetence. Those coming to power with the help of “outsiders” have always met the same fate.

The JI chief warned that if there was an attempt to impose the presidential system, it would harm the country beyond redemption: it would be hard to build consensus among federating units and nationalities in the country. The government itself began discussion on the presidential system for covering its failures. The masses, he said, wanted the solution of their problems and were least interested in the change of the system.

Flanked by newly-selected general secretary Amirul Azeem and former secretary-general Liaquat Baloch, he said that Prime Minister Imran Khan during his visit to Iran had breached national interests. The visit was aimed at improving ties with Iran but ended up achieving exactly the opposite.

The first nine-month rule of the present government was a saga of 250-day failure. It has been utter disappointment and the masses, who tried all other parties many times, have no option but to try the JI now.

Opposing the proposed amnesty scheme of the government, he said it only aimed at whitening the black money of the plunderers and legalising their ill-gotten wealth. The government, which came to power to recover looted money has not been able to retrieve a single dollar but is attempting to whiten black wealth lying in the country.

The JI chief also regretted that the National Action Plan, which was started against terrorists, has been diverted towards seminaries. He said that the Islamic characteristics of the state and even its geography were in danger under the present rulers.

He advised the prime minister to let Afghans worry about their government system instead of being advised by neighbours: Prime Minister Imran Khan should not bother about it. The JI chief also asked the prime minister and the PPP chairman to stop fighting with each other and insulting females, and instead come out with some plan to fight poverty, price hike and unemployment.

LIAQAT: Deputy JI chief Liaqat Baloch said PTI’s best men had failed to run the government and the second line leaders and technocrats borrowed or imposed from outside could not be expected to do better.

Talking to the media at the Jamia Masjid Hanfia, Mr Baloch said that all religious parties stood united for safeguarding the Islamic laws and the Islamic culture in the country. He said that the secular and liberal elements in the government were busy in provocations. He said the Qadyani issue had been solved one for all during Z.A. Bhutto’s government and the Qadyanis should accept their status as non Muslims. He assured that this would protect their political, social and human rights as well as their economic interests. He also stressed upon the government to effectively implement the laws in this regard.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2019