The government is upset over the opening of cases of its favourites :Senator Sirajul Haq

Lahore: Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator Sirajul Haq, along with the four provincial chiefs of the party, on Tuesday, announced a countrywide campaign against economic, political, moral as well as electoral corruption, from March one.

Addressing a crowded press conference, at Mansoora, he said that corruption had swept over to all walks of life including politicians, bureaucrats, land mafia, contractors, capitalists, and even some retired military officers had been accused of that.

Sirajul Haq said the government was upset over the opening of cases of its favourites. Around 150 mega corruption cases were pending with the NAB as everyone wanted accountability of the other. The Audior General had raised objection over the spending of Rs. 4.2 trillion that had remained unsettled for years.

He said the main target of the JI campaign would be the corrupt system and the corrupt elite. He urged all patriotic, God fearing and noble people and parties to lead and join the JI drive. He said the  campaign would continue till the country was cleansed of corruption.

The JI chief said that financial corruption to the tune of Rs. 4230 billion was taking place in the country annually and corrupt politicians and bureaucracy were protecting corruption and the corrupt system.

He said the feudal lords and capitalists returned to the assemblies by spending billions and later they made trillions.  The election had become a game of wealth and a mockery of articles 62 and 63 of the constitution. Adulteration was a countrywide problem and nothing pure was available. As for moral corruption, major national institutions were promoting vulgarity and nudity as a policy which would only earn divine wrath. The distinction of Halal and Haram had disappeared.

Sirajul Haq said that in order to control corruption, the rulers would have to become a model by themselves because the government was the root cause of all evils. He said if government officials minted money in Hajj and Umrah schemes, the common vendor could not be expected to be honest. There had been bungling in the Zakar and Ushr funds as well.

He said a former minister had stated that his party too had a right to do corruption. Billions had been plundered in Yellow cab and Rozgar schemes, “Para Likha Punjab” and oil and gas projects. Prestigious national institutions were being sold on throw away prices under a pre planned manner.

The JI chief said all past rulers right from Ayub khan up to Mian Nawaz Sharif had pledged ruthless accountability before they came into power. Several organizations were also set up   to wipe out corruption. Huge budget was spent on anti-Corruption, FIA, PRODA, PODO, EBDO, Public Accounts Committee, Ehtesab Commission, and NAB. However, these institutions were used only to harass the opponents and to bring them around.

Sirajul Haq said that no doubt, war and terrorism demolished infrastructure, but corruption would stop the take off of infrastructure and social progress and large scale plunder of public money left no funds for education, health, and other welfare spheres.

To a question, the JI chief said that the efficiency of a government was now being gauged through the amount of loan it managed to secure from international donors.