CHITRAL: A caravan of Jamaat-i-Islam led by its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emir Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan started here on Friday morning, which will culminate in North Waziristan tribal district on August 13.

Addressing the participants of the Karwan-i-Inqilab march before departure at the Atalique Chowk, Senator Ahmed declared that the country was being run by mafias. He insisted that the JI wanted to rid the country of what he said American agents.

“We want to focus on the youth as they formed 71 per cent of the population and, on whom, depended the country’s future.

We have to empower them and provide them with opportunities to express themselves and exploit their energies for benefit of the country,” he said.

Mr Ahmed said the so-called champions of the youth had consigned them to oblivion after coming to power, in veiled reference to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government.

The JI senator said the country was passing through the most critical period of its history where common man found it hard to even make both ends meet due to rampant corruption, unemployment, lawlessness and sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities.

Explaining the reason of choosing Chitral for starting the march, he said people of the district always retained their freedom and valiantly defied the British imperialists.

The caravan was warmly received by people in Broze, Kessu, Drosh, Mirkhani and Ashuret, where gates decorated with flowers were erected to receive the marchers before they left Chitral through Lowari tunnel.

Central president of the JI’s Youth Wing, Zubair Gondal, party’s district emir Maulana Akhunzada Rahmatullah and general secretary Wajeehuddin were also in attendance.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2021