LOWER DIR/Lakki Marwat: Jamaat-i-Islami’s former chief Sirajul Haq has claimed that all political parties are currently part of the government one way or the other, but instead of working for public welfare, they are involved in corruption and mismanagement.

He was addressing the district convention of Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), Lower Dir, held in Timergara on Saturday.

Mr Haq added that VIP culture and poor governance had become the norm, while horse-trading in the Senate had turned into a routine practice. “Meanwhile, political leaders are offering their services to global powers,” he alleged.

The event was also addressed by JI Lower Dir emir Maulana Asadullah and PIMA district president Dr Muslihuddin.

“The real solution to the world’s problems lies in the system of Khilafat (caliphate). During the Ottoman era, countries like Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan enjoyed independence and dignity. Today, although there are 58 Muslim countries, the Ummah is in dire need of awakening,” Mr Haq remarked.

He emphasised that Jamaat members had a proud history rooted in honesty, integrity, and public service. “If people truly want progress in the country, they must support JI,” he said.

The former senator claimed that Jamaat-i-Islami had once made Khyber Pakhtunkhwa debt-free. “We established an integrated network of irrigation channels, agricultural research centres, hospitals, libraries, and educational institutions across the province, many of which still exist today,” he added.

Meanwhile, Jamaat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa South chief Prof Mohammad Ibrahim Khan has welcomed the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Uzbekistan railway project and said that it would help bring the three countries closer to each other and make them stronger in the region.

In a statement issued from the party’s office in Bannu on Saturday, he said that the railway project should have started immediately after Russia’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“But our government preferred safeguarding US interests to those of Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he claimed, saying that the region was plunged into wars and unrest to protect American interests, thus depriving it from peace and development.

The JI leader said that he was hopeful that the fate of the railway project would not be like the Pak-Iran gas project.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2025