PESHAWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami has accused the government of passing laws to release Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and pave the way for handing over Dr Shakil Afridi and accused persons especially those facing charges of blasphemy in the country to the US and different European countries.

Speaking at a press conference at Al-Markaz-i-Islami, Peshawar, on Sunday, JI provincial chief Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan claimed that many laws, including the United Nations Security Council(Amendment) Bill,2020, Anti-TerrorismAct (Amendment)Bill,2020, and Mutual Legal Assistance(Criminal Matters)Bill, 2020, had been approved from the National Assembly and Senate of Pakistan on the instructions of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

He said that Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf were on the same page for approval of these laws. He said that all these parties had surrendered the parliament to FATF. He said that approval of these bills was meant to hand over India spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to India and Dr Shakeel Afridi and blasphemy accused persons to the US and different European countries.

Senator Mushtaq said the PTI leadership had forgotten its tall claims and election manifesto to provide jobs to the people and control price hike. He said that due to wrong policies of the government about 10 million people had lost jobs as over 71,000 federal vacancies had been abolished which negated the commitment of Prime Minister Imran Khan to employ millions of people.

The JI leader said that on the one hand unemployment was on the rise, on the other prolonged, unscheduled power outages and growing prices of essential commodities had made lives of the citizens miserable. He said that the federal government was not allowing electricity to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa according to its quota. He alleged that the chief minister had failed to raise voice for rights of the province.

He that JI would arrange seminars, conferences, public meetings, conventions and processions on September 7 at the tehsil and district levels for Tahaffuz Aqeeda Khatam-i-Nabuwwat to create awareness among the people of the conspiracies of Western countries. He said JI had planned a six-month plan to mobilise people against the wrong policies of the government.

Senator Mushtaq said that Pakistan was in the grip of strong mafias, including IPPs, pharma, sugar, wheat, wheat flour, and petroleum, which fleeced the masses by increasing the prices many times.

He said that no positive change had been witnessed even after PM Imran Khan took notices of the high prices of essential commodities.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2020