LOWER DIR: Jamaat-i-Islami former chief Sirajul Haq has asked the ‘state institutions’ to work within their domains as per the Constitution.

He was addressing the annual Khatam-i-Bukhari Sharif function held at a seminary in Shatai Balambat here the other day.

The graduated girl students were awarded with certificates, while the guests were given shields.

Mr Haq alleged that the public mandate was stolen on Feb 8 last year, pushing the country further ‘towards chaos and instability’. He said that Pakistan lost one of its arms in 1971 when a public mandate was not accepted.

The JI former chief said people had lost trust in elections due to unnecessary involvement of the establishment in the process.

He said that Punjab was handed over to PML-N, Sindh to PPP and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to PTI under a preplanned arrangement in the election on Feb 8 last year.

The JI leader said seminaries played an important role in spreading the teachings of Islam in the society.

Mr Haq called for doing away with the interest-based economic system. He said the Constitution should be strictly followed by all stakeholders for the country’s progress and development. He asked women to come forward and play their active role in reforming society.

Meanwhile, addressing the party’s provincial Shura meeting in Timergara, JI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (north) chief Inayatullah Khan demanded of the government to take practical steps for maintenance of peace in the region.

The JI leader criticised both the federal and provincial governments for their failure to deliver according to the people’s wishes. He said the KP government had dropped development projects worth Rs42 billion in Malakand division.

JUI-F CONFERENCE: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl general secretary for merged districts and Senator Mufti Abdur Rashid has said that seminaries are symbols of Islamic culture and traditions.

He was addressing a conference in Lajbok area here the other day. The conference was arranged by a seminary to honour its graduates.

JUI-F leader Muzafar Syed Advocate, Maulana Mohammad Huzaifa, Dr Abdul Hamid and others spoke on the occasion.

A total of 80 students of Dars-i-Nizami, Mufti Course and Hifzul Quran were turbaned.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2025