RAWALPINDI: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Sirajul Haq on Sunday said if people vote for his party in the general elections, they would be given a debt and corruption-free Pakistan in return.

Addressing a public meeting at Liaquat Bagh, Mr Haq said people wanted peace, education, prosperity and development, and were not interested in bringing Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari or Imran Khan into power.

He further said voting for parties that had remained in power meant voting for the IMF and World Bank, adding that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were playing political games and would reunite after the elections.

Sirajul Haq further claimed that the JI had given public representatives to the nation that had come from within the people and were their real representatives and guardians of their rights.

He said the Jamaat-i-Islami wanted to bring forward farmers, lawyers, doctors, honest businessmen and educated youth to run the country, but other parties have always brought their family members, feudals and industrial tycoons so they could destroy national institutions and rob banks.

Says economic policies of Nawaz, Zardari connected with those of IMF, World Bank

The economic policies of Nawaz and Zardari were connected with those of the IMF and the World Bank, where they take loans to consume forthemselves, he said, adding that, “people need to bury their dirty and corrupt politics forever on February 8.

Despite being in power, these two parties have not done anything for the freedom of Kashmir and Palestine or for the return of Aafia Siddiqui.“

Furthermore, Mr Haq said that they would give interest-free loans, land, tractors, fertilisers and cheap electricity to the youth and would provide shelter to 20 million homeless people in the country.

Besides, he said residences of the commissioner and deputy commissioner were bigger than the US White House, so the JI would end the culture of luxury after coming to power, and all, including the president, prime minister and chief ministers would live in a 10-marla flat.

He said that it was time to dump politics of cheaters in Leh Nullah forever. “We will promote simple governance and a simple lifestyle in the country,” he added.

Mr Haq said that if he were elected prime minister, he would also visit Palestine for the first time because supporting the people of Kashmir and Palestine was a requirement of our faith and honour.

He further said the JI assured the Kashmiris that they were with them completely in this freedom struggle and would stand with Kashmir until the dawn of independence.

“After Jamaat-i-Islami comes to power, Pakistan’s army, guns, tanks and Jihad will all be for Palestine. Because the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the trust of Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi and Umar bin Khattab; supporting Palestine is a requirement of our faith and honour,” he said.

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Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2024