LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq has opposed holding of polls in two provinces and announced expediting efforts for a consensus among political parties on general elections.

Speaking at a press conference here on Sunday, he suggested the PDM, PPP and the PTI come to the negotiation table before the things reach the point of no return.

He said the situation was leading the country towards anarchy and feared that it could create a Libya- and Syria-like situation if the political leadership did not act wisely.

Haq said the polls in two provinces would not bring any stability; rather it was feared that the crises would aggravate and nobody would accept the results.

He said the decisions of the courts were controversial and the institutions seemed either divided or becoming a party.

He stressed that the judiciary and the military establishment could not solve the political crisis and ultimately, the politicians had to come forward. He said the institutions should stand neutral in the interest of the country and strictly follow the lines drawn for them in the Constitution.

He said the poor were paying the price of the fight among the ruling parties and dying in queues at flour distribution centres. He said the people were burning in the fire of inflation, lawlessness and unemployment.

He said the PDM and the PTI were least worried about the problems of commoners as their governments desperately failed to deliver.

Haq also announced that the JI would launch a protest movement for the rights of people of Gwadar from May 1 and approach the Supreme Court for the release of Gwadar Right Movement leader Maulana Hidayatur Rahman Baloch. He said the rulers must address the problems of the people of Balochistan instead of pushing them to the wall.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2023