LAHORE: Fearing the public backlash over its four years of bad performance, the PTI made an attempt to hide behind a so-called letter, believed the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) central leadership which met at Mansoora on Wednesday.

The meeting under the chair of JI emir Sirajul Haq though admitted the US interference in Pakistan’s internal matter was an open secret, ruled out the Imran Khan government policies had been posing any threat to Washington.

There seemed no reason that the US, West and the institutions working under their influence were annoyed over the PTI policies, said the leaders through a resolution. The JI leaders, however, criticized and condemned the US meddling in the internal affairs of different countries, saying the JI had always raised a voice against it.

The JI believed the National Assembly deputy speaker’s ruling was against the spirit of the constitution, hoping the Supreme Court of Pakistan will fix the responsibility to the violation. However, it felt the constitutional and political crises were deepened to a level that no escape without free and fair polls was seemed possible to bring the country out of it.

The meeting called for electoral reforms before the general elections, rejecting the PTI backed reforms as unilateral and unfair.

The session also described the Russian attack on Ukraine as aggression. It expressed regret over the loss of innocent lives in the war and asked the UNO to play its rule for a ceasefire.

Mr Haq again advised the political leadership to act responsibly to end the prevailing crisis. He said the failure of politicians to resolve the issues always provided an opportunity to dictators. He held both the PTI and the main opposition responsible for the prevailing situation, saying that both sides displayed immaturity and continued fighting for power without caring about the cost.

The people of Pakistan, he said, were ultimately losers and the ruling elite hardly cared about it. He hoped the apex court verdict will be helpful to strengthen democracy. He said the JI would continue to struggle rights of the people and its ultimate goal was to transform Pakistan into an Islamic welfare state.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2022