LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) emir Sirajul Haq says there is no difference between the PML-N, the PPP and the PTI as these former ruling parties are essentially two sides of the same coin.

Speaking at a press conference at Mansoora on Thursday, he said many so-called leaders who were a part of these parties were opportunistic and turncoats who aligned themselves with whichever party was poised to come into power.

Haq, alongside JI Secretary General Amirul Azim, also launched the JI election symbol ‘scale’.

The JI emir announced that his party had fielded 222 candidates for the National Assembly and 520 for provincial assembly seats, urging the public to vote for the JI candidates to bring about real change.

Party fields 222 candidates for NA, 520 for PA seats

He said the political workers had no place in the so-called mainstream parties, which tended to favour their relatives in distribution of party tickets. Despite frequently coming to power, he contended, the mainstream parties had consistently failed to address the country’s problems. He said a new class of politicians was now also emerging on the country’s political landscape with the launch of the sons and daughters of the heads of the mainstream parties.

Mr Haq said the ruling elite had amassed wealth for themselves and their families, looting resources, taking loans and having those loans waived off. He asserted that 90pc of foreign loans were utilised for their personal benefits, contributing to the country’s massive debt. He said the corrupt ruling elite annually utilised $18bn of resources for personal gain, rendering the current system incapable of benefiting the common man. He argued if the ruling mafias remained intact, public welfare and the country’s prosperity would remain elusive.

The JI leader attributed the collapsed economy and weakened institutions to the flawed policies of the former governments of dictators and so-called democratic political parties.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2023