LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq says that relationships with India should not come at the expense of the bloodshed of the Kashmiris.

Speaking at a Kashmir Solidarity rally on the Mall Road on Monday, he said the Indian government was ruthlessly targeting the Muslim minorities after the abrogation of held Kashmir’s special status.

Siraj pointed out that the Hindutva goons, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), spared no effort in victimising the Muslims.

He highlighted the contrast in the approach of the rulers in Pakistan, who, despite the atrocities in Kashmir, called for building relations with India and declared that the JI and the people of Pakistan would resist such overtures. He said if the JI came into power, it would staunchly fight for the causes of Kashmir and Palestine.

The JI chief accused the established political parties of disseminating lies during their election rallies.

According to him, the parties like the PML-N and PPP, which had been tested in power, were responsible for disrupting peace and damage to the economy. He expressed skepticism about their ability to ensure the welfare of the countrymen if given the opportunity to rule for the next 100 years.

He called upon the public to reject these tested parties and urged them to vote for capable and honest candidates from the JI on Feb 8.

Sirajul Haq criticised the ruling elite for seeking blessings from Washington to maintain power in Pakistan. He argued that their dependence on external forces had led the country into a debt trap, burdening the masses with inflation and unemployment.

He attributed the millions of out-of-school children and unemployed educated youth to the policies of the former governments.

He assured that, if elected, the JI would rectify the economy and ensure the equitable distribution of resources.

A large number of people, including women and children, participated in the rally. JI leaders Liaqat Baloch, Emirul Azim and others also spoke.

PPP: The PPP took out a Kashmir solidarity rally here on Monday.

Party leaders from Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and central Punjab joined the rally which started from the Wafaqi Colony and after passing by Doctors’ Hospital, G-1 Market, Allah Hu Chowk, College Road, Akbar Chowk, Maulana Shaukat Ali Road and Peco Road, terminated at central election office of the party in NA-127.

The participants were carrying Azad Kashmir and PPP flags.

GB ministers Mian Abdul Waheed, Sardar Javed Ayub, Sardar Ziaul Qamar, Amer Yasin, and Nabeela Ayub, Khwaja Tariq Saeed, Amjad Yousuf, Sardar Abid from AJK, and Aslam Gill, Usmal Malik, Dr Khayam, Neelam Jabbar, and others joined the rally.

They raised slogans for the freedom of Kashmir and to show solidarity with the Kashmiris who are fighting against Indian yoke for the last over seven decades.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2024