LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Senator Sirajul Haq has called for seeking the consent of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) for deciding the status of their area.

He said there was a need to hold a discussion in the Parliament and taking into confidence the Kashmiri leadership before giving provincial status to the GB.

He was answering a query by a journalist in ceremony in which Tehreek-e-Tabdeeli-e-Nizam Party President Chaudhry Tasuseef along with his workers announced joining the JI on Friday.

JI naib emir Liaqat Baloch and other leaders also spoke on the occasion and welcomed Chaudhry Tauseef to the party.

“The entire struggle of the Jamaat-i-Islami revolves around the objective to transform Pakistan into a true Islamic welfare state,” said Senator Haq.

He added the people of Pakistan had already tested all the political parties, which did nothing during their respective tenures, except ruining the economy.

Similarly, he went on to say, the military dictators ruled the country for over 37 years and played with the fate of the people. He said successive military rules and so-called democratic set-ups had paid no attention to changing the fate of the common man.

Sirajul Haq said the PTI had proved the last party, which deceived the masses in the name of change. He said the present government had snatched everything from the masses and left them in a miserable condition in the last 26 months.

“The prices of medicines, flour, sugar, electricity and other needs have skyrocketed, thousands have lost their jobs and every sector is on the verge of collapse.”

The JI emir said the masses now wanted to get rid of the ruling elite and demanded a system based on the true principles of Islam. He demanded the government pay the pending salaries of the Radio Pakistan employees and vowed to raise the issue in the Senate if not resolved immediately.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2020