Sirajul Haq rejects fresh polls without electoral reforms

Lahore: Ameer Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Sirajul Haq has said that fresh elections would not be acceptable without electoral reforms, and has demanded that all political parties should be consulted regarding the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner.  He was inaugurating an office of a well known Islamic NGO Sanabul Khair at Wahdat Road here on Tuesday.

The JI chief impressed upon the government to take the initiative in shaking off ego and announce the date and place for talks with the PTI.  He said that if the govt.-PTI talks were not resumed soon, there could be a big mishap as the hostile forces were busy in creating instability in the country to achieve their own ends.

Sirajul Haq said the JI would bring all political parties on one platform on the agenda of service of the masses and added that all should join hands for the provision of facilities of education, health and employment to the people. He said there was no dearth of resources in the country and the only need was to create unity and harmony for a war against poverty, price hike, ignorance and unemployment.

He said the whole nation was worried about the political instability and economic depression in the country and thousands of talented youth were ready to leave the country in search of jobs.

Sirajul Haq said the citizens wanted to know the real facts regarding the allegations of rigging in the elections. He said the judicial commission for enquiry into the rigging should have been set up by now. He said the masses would not accept the next elections without electoral reforms.

The JI chief welcomed the meeting between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to decide the name of the Chief Election Commissioner. However, he said, it was essential to take the other parties into confidence as well.

Sirajul Haq said he would announce a road map for the Islamic Pakistan on December 25 in Karachi and added that the JI had decided to take the other parties in confidence and evolve a consensus for the solution of the people’s problems.

The JI chief said the US was busy in conspiracies to plunge Pakistan into a civil war like Iraq and Syria.  A siege had already been laid down on all sides of the country. India had been shelling our borders for several months, skirmishes going on our border with Afghanistan while our brother Muslim country Iran was also not satisfied over the border situation. Such a tense situation required a complete national unity, he added.

Sirajul Haq reiterated his demand that the IDPs be allowed to return home because they were facing great hardships living in tents in extreme cold due to which hatred was developing among the tribal people in regard to the government. He said these people had been forced to leave their homes on very short notice and they had not carried articles of basic need with them in the hope that the government would look after them. However, they had been disappointed.

Besides, he said, that thousands of tribal people who had crossed over to Afghanistan, had returned to the country on his request but they were still without a shelter and other basic facilities. These people asked him what was their fate but he had no answer for them.