LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Sirajul Haq has called for the formation of a caretaker government to hold fresh polls.

“What happened on Sunday was shocking but the fire has spread to a level that it will be settled only thorough election,” he said while talking to journalists at Mansoorah on Monday. The JI emir, however, urged the political parties to sit together for electoral reforms, rejecting the PTI’s unilateral reforms.

He said he believed the political system was not strong enough to adopt the EVMs at present level. The Election Commission of Pakistan, he said, had already expressed its inability to hold elections through electronic voting machines in such a short span of time.

The JI chief hoped the Supreme Court will soon issue the verdict to end political instability. The top court decision, he said, will be helpful to strengthen democracy. He regretted the politicians once again failed to end political instability. The prime minister, he said, made attack on its own assembly, a unique and sad incident in history of the country. He said the political parties at least now expressed maturity and held dialogue to bring the country out of crisis. The politicians’ failure, he said, at last provided an opportunity to marshal laws governments. He said the JI believed a weak democratic system was much better than dictatorship.

To avoid uncertainty, he said, the matter should be referred to the masses who as real custodians should be allowed to elect their representatives through free and fair elections. He said it had been also proved the establishment’s experiences to bring the people into power with its backing badly backfired. Therefore, he said, the JI had always called for establishment neutrality. He said every institution should work under the limit defined in the constitution.

To a question, he said no one could refuse the US interference in Pakistan internal affairs as it was an open secret. But, he said, he was surprised that why the Washington would be against the PTI which worked under the influence of the US backed institutions throughout its four years in power. He said if the prime minister received any threat from foreign power, he (PM) should bring it to the parliament knowledge on the day. He said the PTI government failed to transform Pakistan into Madina like state and mere make tall claims. He said the major opposition parties and the PTI had continued fighting for self-interests, bringing the country to the present level of instability. He said the JI had refused to be the part of the game since the day one and will continue its struggle for the right of the people. The JI, he said, was working to bring real change and transform Pakistan into Islamic welfare state.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022