Restoration of peace in the country is the biggest national issue: Sirajul Haq

Lahore: Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Sirajul Haq, has said that restoration of peace in the country was the biggest national issue and suggested that all the parties should stage a National Peace March to stress the point. He was addressing the families of the Christians working at Mansoora at a luncheon hosted by the JI in their honour Saturday.

Sirajul Haq said that the solution of all the problems facing the country today including terrorism, lay in the enforcement of the Islamic system, and added that an Islamic government was responsible for the protection of the life, property and honour of all its citizens including the minorities.

The JI chief said that the political parties had accepted the setting up of military courts only under pressing circumstances which was however not an ideal situation. He said all the political and religious parties had given a mandate to the government for taking extreme steps for uprooting terrorism and restoration of peace. Now it was for the government to take necessary measures to achieve this end.

Sirajul Haq said that unfortunately, the laws already existing in the country were not enforced. However, he said, t was the duty of the government to remove the flaws in the judicial system, fill the vacant posts in the judiciary, and to provide sufficient funds to the judiciary to facilitate its functioning.

Describing the Peshawar tragedy as a big tragedy not only for Pakistan but also for the Muslim world, Sirajul Haq said the civil and military leadership had joined hands to wipe out terrorism. He further said it had been decided to observe the year 2015 as the year of peace.

Referring o the rights of the minorities in the country, the JI chief pointed out that the Quaid e Azam had stated in clear terms that the Muslims and the non-Muslims would enjoy equal rights in Pakistan. But unfortunately, he said, the rulers had betrayed the country’s ideology and the constitution with the result that not only the eastern wing of Pakistan was lost but innumerable problems cropped up for the nation.

Sirajul Haq said that as Senior Minister in the Khyber government, he was the first to propose that the minorities in the country should be given the title of Pakistanis, and the Hindus, the Christians and the Sikhs should call themselves as Pakistanis community. He said that all the problems facing the country including terrorism, were the creation of the tiny elite class ruling the country for the last 68 years. This elite class was holding all the institutions as hostages. The rulers treated the masses as insects and in their eye, every wealthy person was a VIP while every poor man was liable to be put to death.

Sirajul Haq said the JI wanted to bring about a system in which all citizens had equal rights and the children of the President and the Prime Minister and the children of a poor worker went to the same school, and everybody enjoyed the same facilities of health and employment.

The JI Secretary General, Liaqat Baloch, speaking on the occasion, said that the JI had the tradition of hosting a reception for its Christian workers and their families on Christmas, and had always shared their happiness and worries. He said that the JI chief, Sirajul Haq, since his election to the present office, had been showing great love and affection for the minorities, and had held special meetings with the minorities and had been the first political leader to visit to the Christian family put to death at Kot Radha Kishan some time back.