Siraj rejects govt justification for inflation

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Sirajul Haq has expressed wonder that the ruling elite which had been holding long marches against the inflation are now trying to justify it.

“People have rejected the lame justification of the coalition government for the current excessive inflation, and rulers must quit if they are unable to provide relief to masses,” he said while addressing media at Lahore Railway Station on Monday before leaving for Rawalpindi for the third phase of JI train march against inflation, IMF budget, corruption and interest-based economic system.

Siraj condemned the appeal in Supreme Court by State Bank and four commercial banks challenging Federal Shariat Court decision to abolish interest-based economy, warning that masses and JI would wage agitation against this anti-Constitutional and anti-Islam move.

He said the country was full of resources and inflation and other problems were due to bad governance, corruption and mismanagement. He said the rulers compromised the sovereignty of the country by making full surrender on the conditions of the IMF. “What could be more mocking than that the country is ours but the decision maker is IMF,” he said.

The government, he said, prepared the budget on the IMF dictation making impossible for a common man to meet both ends. He said at every difficulty the ruling class sought sacrifices from the poor. “How long the masses will keep making sacrifices? Why the ruling elite itself is not ready to sacrifice even its 10 percent wealth for the country?” The JI was holding the march for the people’s rights as inflation had turned the life of the people miserable, he added. The three parties, he said, were responsible for the people’s plight. He said the budget document was a death warrant for the poor. He said the people were starving and unable to meet both ends due to massive hike in prices of basic commodities, including petroleum products and electricity.

The government, he said, failed to control corruption which plagued the country. He said the PMLN-led government had also failed to bring any change after three and half years of destruction under PTI regime. The three parties, he said, were exposed badly and people were fed up with them. Time had approached the people took stand for their rights, he said, adding that the JI would continue struggle to transform Pakistan into welfare Islamic state.