Siraj ul Haq criticized govt for not making south Punjab province

Lahore : Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Senator Siraj ul Haq has criticized the government for not taking a single step towards the creation of southern Punjab province, saying the present rulers like their predecessors have done nothing to remove the sense of deprivation and neglect of the people of the areas.

Addressing a press conference in Madrasa Jamia-ul-Uloom Multan on Saturday, he said no mega project was announced for the southern districts of the province in federal and Punjab budgets, stated a press release issued from JI headquarters Mansoora.

The growers in southern Punjab had to face loss of billions of rupees due to locust attack on their crops but they were not paid any compensation money, he said, adding the agriculture sector like health and education sectors was also on the verge of collapse due to failed policies of the ruling party.

Senator Siraj said that opposition parties rejected the budget which was prepared on the dictation of the IMF. He said the failed economic policies of the government led to the unemployment of thousands of people and massive increase in the prices of essential items in past few months. He said the claimant of Madina state had turned the life of people miserable and destroyed the economy. He said the Cronavirus pandemic was uncontrolled despite passage of four months, adding the federal government developed confused strategy to mitigate the deadly Covid-19 threat. He said Europe, America and even SAARC countries fixed around 10 percent of their GDPs in Cronavirus relief programs but the government of Pakistan allocated only Rs70 billion for the health sector. He demanded the government allocate maximum resources for the health system up-gradation, ensure PPEs for medical staff and free of cost testing facilities for the people.

To a question, he said the PTI government failed to address the deprivations of the people of Balochistan in 22 months and it could not fulfill the commitments made with BNP head Sardar Akhtar Mengal regarding the problems of the province. He said not only the BNP-Mengal but other allies were also expressing reservations against the policies of the ruling party which led to the weakening the PTI grip on power. He said the demand of the mid-term election should come from joint opposition.

To another question, he said the National Accountability Bureau had lost its credibility and accountability had become a joke and toll of political victimization in the reign of the PTI.

The JI chief said the Supreme Court decision in Justice Qazi Faez Isa reference proved the incapability of the rulers.

He demanded the government devise a strategy for the opening of educational institutions and religious seminaries.