Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Amir Senator Sirajul Haq has said the recent by-polls in Lahore have once again proved that election in Pakistan is a game of billionaires and beyond the reach of a common man. However, he said, the only ray of hope to save democracy is to strengthen the role of the election commission of Pakistan so that it can disqualify the members who exceed the limits of expenses for election campaigns.
Talking to the editors and bureau chiefs at a luncheon on Sunday, he said his party believed in changing the fate of this country through democracy. He said they believed in using no-violent means in politics and were staunch supporters of a peaceful change. He said the dream of making Pakistan a true Islamic welfare state was yet to be materialised despite the country achieved independence more than a half century ago.
He said the Election Commission of Pakistan should be authorised to hold elections within the political parties of Pakistan. He said Jamaat-e-Islami regularly conducted its party elections at every level, but many other political parties were family fiefdoms where a common worker could not dream to be elected as party head. He said in these parties leadership belonged to same families while the sons of workers would always remain as party workers. He said by bringing democracy inside our political parties, they could change the political culture in Pakistan and make it more democratic. He said in many political parties a common worker could not even dare to address directly to his party head. He said this type of strictness and class difference was not even found in the court of Mughal emperors. “Political parties of Pakistan are the collective asset of Pakistan masses and we have to stop them turning into personal estates of a few elite families.”
Sirajul Haq said Karachi was not only economic but also a ideological hub of Pakistan. He said: “Karachi is the face of Pakistan. Making this city peaceful and prosperous is tantamount to making Pakistan peaceful and prosperous.” He supported the ongoing operation in Karachi. However, he said one day the operation had also to end as perpetual operations were solution to no problems. He said Karachi needed solution to its problems on permanent basis. He supported the idea to improve failing civic infrastructure of Karachi on emergency basis.
He said the central and provincial governments should complete their full tenure and no government should be provided a change to be a ‘political martyr’. He said let the voters decide the fate of those parties who have failed to deliver through their votes. He said in Sindh the rulers were not ready to give powers to the local governments which were against the very spirit of the local governments as per the constitution of Pakistan. He said the performance of the provincial government of Sindh had remained very dismal and people were not satisfied with it.
He expressed serious concern over growing tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran and suggested that the governments of Pakistan and Turkey should play their due role to defuse this tension. To a question regarding the visit of the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the USA, he said he would consider it the biggest success of Nawaz Sharif if he could manage to get Dr Aafia Siddiqui repatriated to Pakistan.