LAHORE: The country can plunge into anarchy if the prevailing economic and political crises go unaddressed, warns Jammat-i-Islami Emir Sirajul Haq while addressing the launching ceremony of the JI manifesto for the general elections at a local hotel on Wednesday.

The country was being flooded by an ocean of despair and burning in the fire of inflation, poverty and lawlessness while the political parties were indulging in the fight for the protection of their own self-interests.

Haq declared the absence of the rule of law, corruption and unfair distribution of resources as the main reason behind the prevailing situation, holding the corrupt leadership in the form of military dictators and so-called democratic parties responsible for the plight of the commoners.

He said the PDM, the PPP and the PTI lacked the ability to govern the country as they all had no intent to fix the problems. The troika, he said, had been ruling the country for years, having no interest in setting the economy on track and strengthening the institutions.

The powerful military establishment, he said, always provided backing to the agents of the status quo, creating hurdles in the rule of law, ‘real’ change and viable democracy. The judicial system, he said, provided protection to the powerful instead of the poor and weak who had no access to justice.

He said Pakistan is full of resources, having no need for foreign and the IMF loans. But, he added, it needed good governance and an end to the VIP culture, corruption and non-development expenditures.

How a poor country where a governor lives in the palace spanning over 700 kanals and the official residences of bureaucracy stretching over acres could survive, he questioned.

The system, he said, was corrupt to the core, and only the JI had the ability and vision to overhaul it. He said there were stories of corruption of politicians, bureaucrats, judges, and generals from Panama Leaks and Pandora Papers to Toshakhana.

The Toshakaha report, he added, showed that almost everyone who served in high positions took gifts at throwaway prices except the JI leaders who also served as ministers and members of the parliament. Haq said the JI manifesto was not merely an exercise like the other parties but a true reflection of the party’s vision to transform the country into an Islamic welfare state.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2023