GUJRAT: The Milli Yakjehtee Council (MYC), a conglomerate of at least 25 religious parties, has decided to play its role to reduce political temperature by arranging a dialogue between the mainstream political parties.

“A meeting of all heads of MYC component parties is being scheduled within a week for which a consultation process has already begun,” says MYC secretary general and Jamaat-i-Islami naib emir Liaqat Baloch.

Talking to Dawn at the wedding of former Gujrat bar president Ansar Dhool’s daughter here on Friday, he said a special meeting to discuss this agenda would be convened within a week, with MYC president Sahibzada Abul Khair Zubair of Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP) in the chair..

He said a culture of hurling abuses, character assassination and mud-slinging against political opponents and their followers, particularly on social media, had created a polarisation in Pakistan and it was a need of the hour that someone should come forward to launch a broad-based political dialogue between the national leadership of all parties in the country.

“That’s why the MYC has decided to play such a role like it did in late 90s and afterwards to eliminate sectarian violence in the country,” Mr Baloch said and added that a 12-member executive body of the MYC would call on the leadership of the government and opposition parties, including prime minister Shahbaz Sharif, former PM Imran Khan, Asif Ali Zardari and Maulana Fazalur Rehman to control political temperture.

He said JI chief Sirajul Haq had convened a consultative session of economic experts and all the petitioners against the Riba (interest) based banking system on May 10 in Mansoora as a follow-up of the federal Shariat court (FSC) verdict in favour of Riba-free banking system as experts would present their suggestions to replace the current interest-based system.

He also appealed to the federal government not to go for an appeal against the decision of the FSC and rather take measures to replace the system.

Responding to a question, he said the JI was in favour of introducing electoral reforms before going to the next general elections as without adopting proportional representation system in the electoral politics, the country could not get rid of its current controversies in the election results as a broad-based discussion was required for that.

Former MNA Fareed Paracha and Punjab JI emir Dr Tariq Saleem were also present at the wedding reception.

Published in Dawn,May 7th, 2022