Siraj chides Bilawal over ‘stolen’ Karachi mandate

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq has announced staging a large protest outside the Election Commission of Pakistan headquarters in Islamabad on June 23 against, what he called, the selection of Karachi mayor.

Addressing a press conference at the conclusion of 3-day meeting of JI Shoora (central executive council) at Mansoorah on Sunday evening, Sirajul Haq alleged that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Sindh government in collaboration of the ECP robbed the mandate of the people of Karachi. He said the JI would protest in every nook and corner of the country against the selection of Karachi mayor and also move the courts against this blatant theft of people’s mandate.

Addressing PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the JI chief said that he cannot carry on with the Karachi mayorship through stolen mandate of port city people. “The JI will chase you in every nook and corner and give back Karachiites their right.”

The way a prince won the Karachi mayor election, he would win the general election in the same manner, he said. The disappearance of 30 local representatives on the day of the mayoral election is a unique event in the history of democracy; it was an act of kidnapping for ransom.

“On the stubbornness of a prince, the ECP crushed the wishes of more than 30 million people and declared 173 votes as winner against 193 votes. It made 9 lakh votes to lose against 3.25 lakh votes, Siraj added. “I salute the people of Karachi for supporting Jamaat-e-Islami. All constitutional and legal means will be adopted to protect the rights of the city.”

The JI Ameer said that the system and the rulers have failed to deliver. The PDM, PPP came to power on promises and declarations, not a single one has been implemented. The country is suffering from an uncertain situation. Delaying the election will be a deviation from the Constitution, he said.

Siraj demanded the government dissolve the assemblies and announce the elections immediately and vowed to strongly oppose any attempt to postpone the elections. He warned that the respect for establishment, Supreme Court and ECP lies in their staying away from politics, adding that if the interference of institutions continues, no one will believe in the transparency of election.

He said Balochistan is a story of deprivation, vowing that the JI will stand by the people of the province and to see that the Gwadar agreement was implemented. He said the leader of Gwadar Ko Haq Do Tehreek, Hidayat Rehman Baloch, was put in jail only because he was asking for the rights of the people of the area.

“There is no charity for the people of Balochistan, including Gwadar; they should be given their right. I want to tell the rulers that problems will not be solved by forcing the people up against the wall.”

He said the government in the country is seen only in the media as there is no legislation in parliament for the public welfare, and politicians and state institutions are at loggerheads, while judges are divided into rival camps.

He said the common people and weak do not get justice, corruption is rampant and the economy was completely destroyed. He said the government had claimed that the budget would be ideal, but in reality the budget adopted the ideal slavery of the IMF, the poor did not get any relief, all the favors were given to the privileged class.

He said the military dictators and the so-called democratic eras in the country suffered from failure, the experiment of 14 political parties after the PTI also failed. Currently, Pakistan has the most poverty, inflation and chaos in South Asia, the value of rupee is the lowest among the currencies of the countries in the region. The nation should be given the opportunity to freely choose a leader who is capable and honest, who cares about the country and the nation and can make Pakistan a truly Islamic welfare state. Such leadership can only be given by Jamaat-e-Islami.

Secretary General JI Balochistan Hidayat Rahman Baloch and JI parliamentary leader in Sindh Assembly Syed Abdul Rasheed were also present.

PPI adds: Meanwhile, PPP spokesperson Faisal Karim Kundi said that Sirajul Haq had no moral justification to claim the mayor-ship of Karachi.

Addressing a press conference, he said the people of Karachi had rejected the false claims of the JI, adding the PTI members had also not supported the JI s policies.

He added the people of Karachi had achieved the real freedom and the recent elections which gave Murtaza Wahab mayor-ship was the evidence that common people were with the PPP.